Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny
by Hopeless Maiden
Summary: Set in modern times, with a crazy past twist! Zelda must find all of the Sages, and save Hyrule in an all new quest! Now she must come to terms with her new identity! It's apparently... a little different... PS, I don't own LoZ...
1. The Last Day

**Well, this is something Istarted on the weekend, when I was really bored. I hope you like!**

* * *

**To Find the Future, Find the Past**

**Chapter One:**

**The Last Day**

Sixteen year old Zelda Hilyan sighed into her pillows. She couldn't figure out this ridiculous mathematics homework! After ten minutes, she decided that she was getting nowhere fast. Eventually, she just gave up.

Instead, she sat and thought about her last life. Or, at least, what she could remember of it.

The visions, or dreams, that she had been having were not constantly recurring, but always had someone in them that felt familiar to her. Her family was beginning to think that she was going crazy, but she knew her dreams were real! They had to be, there was no other explanation. It was like she was living the important aspects of her life through her dreams. Sometimes, she could live a whole year in one night!

She was a princess of a strange, Elven-type people. She remembered that all of her loyal subjects had loved and adored her and, from what she could tell, they viewed her as some sort of heroine, or warrior, or as some sort of goddess.

Zelda smiled at thinking of this. She wished that she hadn't been taken so abruptly from her last life. She couldn't tell how she died, all she knew was that it caused her Kingdom to fall, literally lost in time. At least, thats what she liked to think. She really had no idea what happened. After her death, the safety of that land was placed on a boy that had apparently, according to the spirits that had contacted her over the years, died a year before her, in battle, in a distant land.

She didn't know where the name came from, but she had decided to refer to the ancient land as 'Hyrule'. It was probably because 'Hyrule' meant 'magical place' in some ancient language or other. It came to her naturally. She wasn't really that interested.

Not yet, anyway.

"Zelda! Come down here!" Her father yelled up the stairs, sounding urgent.

Wait a minute! Her father? He was still supposed to be in Australia, studying that city! He was supposed to be there for 2 more weeks!

"Coming!" Zelda shouted back, English accent clear on her voice. Her father was Australian, but Zelda and her mother were both born and raised in England.

"Why are you home so early, Father?" Zelda enquired politely as she could. He had swept her up into a huge bear hug, so politeness was quite difficult.

"Why, I came to collect you and your mother, of course!" He beamed, then he looked shocked at the confusion in her face, "Hasn't your mother told you?"

"I'm afraid not." Zelda's words were polite, but her tone demanded that she be told what was going on.

"Well," her father beamed in excitement once again, "in order for me to further investigate these ruins, we must move to Australia as soon as possible!"

Zelda felt the pit of her stomach drop from her body. She had heard wrong, hadn't she?_ 'Oh... please have let me have heard wrong...'_ Zelda thought, distressed, _'...I don't want to move to Australia!'_

"We leave this weekend." Her mother added.

Zelda's life came crashing down around her. She didn't want to leave! She was born in England, and she wanted to die in England! Looking back on this thought in a few months, she would realise that she was being stupid. But for the moment, she really believed it.

"...I'm not leaving..." Zelda said in a small voice.

"Yes, you will be." Her father chided her, "you will begin packing tomorrow, and we will fly to Australia two days after that. We will be living there. Permanently. No arguments."

Zelda's eyes began to water. _'He's really going to make me do this!' _Zelda's mind wailed, _'It isn't fair! I want to stay here, with my fr--'_ she caught herself just in time, she reminded herself that she didn't have any friends, _'...my mother's family.'_

Zelda screamed, and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Her parents heard a 'SLAM' as she slammed her door and collapsed, sobbing, onto her bed.

****

THE NEXT DAY

Zelda sat in the principal's office, sulking. Her parents were here to un-enroll her. As they finished signing the papers, the principal turned to her and said to her parents; "I'm incredibly jealous of whatever school that finds itself graced with Zelda's attendance next week. She is one of our top students, and she will be sorely missed."

Zelda graced her principal with a forced smile. "Why, thank you, sir. Rest assured that I'm not as thrilled as my parents to be moving to Australia. I'd much rather stay here, but I'm not being given much of a choice."

"Zelda!" Her mother was shocked. Zelda had never spoken like that to anyone, _ever_. Zelda stifled a giggle at her mother's shocked expression.

"What?" She feigned not knowing what she was so upset about, "It's true!"

"It's incredibly rude!" Her father's face looked like a male version of her mother's, their expressions were so alike. The principal, however, laughed.

"I suppose I don't have to hand that Maths homework, then, sir?"

Everyone cracked up at Zelda's joke. She smirked as she waited for the laughter to die down. She had never cracked a joke before. Many people found this odd, but Zelda didn't see the point.

"No, you don't..." The principal chuckled, clearly amused.

As the papers would not be finalised until tomorrow, the three-person family exited the office and separated. Zelda's parents went home to begin their packing, and Zelda began her last day of classes.

She entered her English class, and immediately the talking died down. The entire school knew Zelda as an ice-queen bitch. She never picked on anyone, but she never paid them any attention, either. The teachers were all clamouring to have Zelda in their classes, not only because she was a good student, but because she inspired the sort of quiet that teachers only dreamt about.

The period was one of the slowest that she had ever endured. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop and hit the ground.

She could feel the eyes on her, and she smirked. Before today she tried to ignore it, but now she had an enraptured audience, and she was feeling pretty rebellious. At least for her. She ripped a sheet of paper from her book, screwed it up into a ball, and when the teacher turned, she threw it at her.

Boink!

The paper hit the teacher in the back of the head. She turned sharply and glared at the class. Zelda just sat there innocently, acting like she hadn't done anything wrong. No one would dob on her, she was certain of it. A few people snickered in the back row. Not finding the culprit, the teacher turned to face the blackboard again.

Boink!

Zelda threw another paper ball at the teacher. This time, there were a few giggles from the class, and once again, Zelda adopted an innocent persona when the teacher whipped around, copying the notes that the teacher had written up on the board.

"One more time... One more time and I will keep the entire class back in at recess." She threatened, totally serious. She turned around again, and continued to write about some boring topic or another on the board.

Boink!

This time the entire class cracked up laughing. Zelda was the only one that wouldn't look guilty by laughing. She simply kept her head down and wrote.

Zelda was quite proud of herself. She had done something that she wouldn't normally do. It may not seem like a big deal to most people, but she had never, _ever_, done anything wrong before.

"All right, that's it!" The teacher screeched, infuriated, "If the culprit doesn't own up now, I will write referrals to everyone's parents! And when I do find out, I will give them the longest string of detentions in recorded history!"

The entire class gulped, terrified. Zelda tried to look upset with the punishment, but she really didn't care. She was out of here today, anyway.

"But if the person who threw the paper at me owns up now, I'll be considerably lenient on their punishment." She cooed pleasantly.

Zelda didn't say anything. She simply looked around the class, and stopped her sweep when she spotted Gonzo Ferdinand. He was staring at her, _again_! He was known to be an idiot, and everyone knew that he had a monster crush on Zelda.

She flashed him a smile that clearly said; 'Own up to it for me, and I'll sleep with you'.

Gonzo took the bait instantly, and raised his hand as he spoke.

"It was me, miss..."

She came down on him like a ton of bricks, yelling and screaming so loudly that you couldn't understand her. Zelda was shocked. She was sure she had heard a few profanities thrown in with the rest of the teacher's ravings. The only part that anyone understood clearly was; "Detention! Everyday! Lunchtime! My staff room! Rest of the week!"

Everyone was quiet by now. It was a relief to hear the bell ring. Everyone packed up their things and made a beeline for the door, Gonzo amongst them. It was only second period now. He still had recess, and periods three and four to worry about the detention.

****

AFTER SCHOOL

"Hey, Babe," Gonzo tried to sound seductive, and he failed miserably.

Zelda cringed. Not only was he an idiot, she would never, _ever_, like him, or possibly even consider kissing him. Even for a million pounds! And he was butt ugly to boot.

"Hello, Gonzo," Zelda purred, despite the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, "What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?"

"I was thinking, since I took the wrap for you, and I have to suffer for you for the next week..."

Zelda knew what was coming, and she had to bite her lip from screaming and throwing up.

"That we could go and do..." He searched for a word, and not finding one, settled on; "each other..." He gave a smile, showing all of his yellow and black teeth.

'Do each other!' Her mind screamed, _'Even if he had the slightest chance in hell, that would have be enough to turn me off. I need to throw up. NOW!'_

Her mind screamed, 

"Well," Zelda purred, getting sicker every second, "I'm always busy during the week. Not this weekend, but the weekend after, my parents will be out of town, so would then be all right? The Sunday, maybe?" Hey! It wasn't a total lie. Her parents _would_ be out of town, and so would she.

"Right." Zelda could tell that Gonzo was already getting excited. Poor guy. She was leading him on in the worst possible way, if her mother had taught her anything.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Zelda whispered, "Don't tell anyone. I don't want people to find out before I'm ready. Please promise me you won't tell?"

Gonzo simply nodded, and sauntered off home. Zelda silently thanked the goddesses that she was moving overseas. She saw that it had it's perks. She could start life all over again.

Wait a minute! _Goddesses_? Where did that come from? She firmly refused to believe anything that wasn't proven to be real, even though she used expressions such as 'oh, God', purely out of habit. The only reason she believed her dreams was because she wasn't the first to dream about a past life.

Oh well, she would ponder on that later.

* * *

**OK. Done with the first chapter. How'd you like it? Please R&R, and tell me.**


	2. The First Day

**Hey, I finished this earlier than I expected, so I'll put it up now.**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Two**

**The First Day**

Zelda looked around her new home with uncertainty. She had to admit, it was nice. She'd lived in a large, two-storey house in England. This was a bit smaller, and was only one-storey.

Her father seemed to be happy to be back in his home-country and, for some reason, Zelda felt that this place had some significance to her. Shrugging off this thought, Zelda began to explore the house.

It had three bedrooms, one bathroom, one kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a laundry room. It was definitely smaller than she was used to.

Shrugging, she told her father which of the two smaller rooms she wanted, so he could put all of her things in there. She chose the one furthest from the road, as she had a phobia of a car or something crashing through her bedroom wall and killing her in her sleep. Her mother laughed when Zelda told them that, saying that that only happened on busy roads, not in the suburbs.

Zelda set her mind to the task at hand. Unpacking her bedroom. It may seem like something easy to the likes of us, but she had a really tough time of it.

She was glad that, in a week, her father was going to buy paints, so she could paint her walls a different colour. At the moment, they were a hideous khaki colour, and reminded Zelda of snot. It didn't match her pink and white furnishings at all!

"Hey there, my little princess," her father entered her room, watching as Zelda tried to figure out how to piece together her bed, "want some help?"

"That would be nice, please," she cooed pleasantly. If she played her cards right, he would do it all for her.

He tried to explain it to her, but she truly didn't get it. In the end he was so frustrated, he sent her out of the room to help her mother unpack the living room. Zelda set herself to the task happily, asking her mother where she wanted this, and should she put that there, and where does this go?

Half an hour later, her father called her from the bedroom, proclaiming that he had it. She walked in there and, lo and behold, her bed sat there, in the middle of the room. Her father said not to bother placing anything against or near the walls. When asked why, he said, rather plainly, "Instead of waiting for next week, we will be painting tomorrow. Just this room, though."

LATER

Several hours later, Zelda laid down comfortably on her bed, feeling like she hadn't slept in over 24 hours. She reminded herself that she probably hadn't, either, because of the time difference.

She slowly drifted into a deep sleep...

DREAM

'She followed the young man into the temple, making sure no one, or nothing, could see her. When he reached the platform, she spoke.

"I have been waiting for you, Link." He spun around to see her, and shouted in surprise.

"Sheik! What are you doing here? Were you the one that wanted to speak with me?"

"Link, the Hero of Time. You have overcome many hardships, and awakened six sages... But now you have yet another challenge. A showdown with Gannondorf, the King of Evil... Before that, I have things I want to tell only to you. Please listen..." she went on, explaining about the Triforce, and how it separated when the Evil King touched it with his filthy hands.

"The bearer of the Triforce of Courage is... You, Link!" He took several steps backwards, after hearing this.

"B-but... How?" He stammered, under his breath.

She continued like he hadn't spoken, "and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, is the seventh Sage, and leader of them all..." There was a blinding flash, and the young man named Link had to shield his eyes. When he removed his hands, he very nearly yelled with surprise.

"It is I. Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. I apologise for meeting you in disguise, but it was necessary to hide from the Evil King."

"Princess Zelda... What is going on?" Link still seemed to be getting over the initial shock of her revelation.

She looked away from him in shame.

"Seven years ago, I saw you as I fled with Impa from the castle. I thought that leaving the Ocarina with you was our best hope, but... something I could never expect happened. When you pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, you were sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven long years. And..."

She looked at him, hope gleaming in her eyes.

"Now you are back, the reign of Gannondorf, the Evil King shall end!"

She hoped he couldn't hear the doubt in her voice.

"I must ask you to lend your courage once again. Please protect me while I do my part." She held out her hands, with a strange weapon in them. She handed the weapon to Link, "And this is a weapon that will help you defeat the Evil King. The sacred Arrow of Light!"

All of a sudden, the room was filled with evil laughter.

"That laugh... It couldn't be!" She was terrified. Suddenly, she was encased in a pink gem.

Link ran to her and pounded on the crystal casket.

"Zelda!" He shouted, forgetting his manners, "Gannondorf, you fiend! Let her go, you bastard!"

The laughter sounded again, and was accompanied by a voice so chilling, it could freeze Death Mountain Crater.

"Princess Zelda, you foolish traitor! I knew that if I let this kid wander around, you would show yourself. Yet, I seemed to have underestimated him. No! It was not the kid's power I misjudged. It was the power of the Triforce of Courage!"

The crystal began to rise out of Link's reach.

"Zelda!" He shouted.

Gannondorf cackled.

"If you want to save the Princess, come to my castle."

"Zelda!" The crystal began to fade, "I will rescue you! I promise!"

"Link! Help me..."

She was enveloped in total darkness, yelling for Link to help her...'

REALITY

"LINK!" Zelda screamed incomprehensibly as she bolted up. She looked around groggily. She realised, after a few moments of disorientation, that she was in her bed.

She swung her legs over the side, and strolled over to her vanity mirror. She glanced at her reflection, and screamed in fright. Instead of seeing the usual pale, blue-eyed, blonde girl with tousled hair, she saw a red-eyed young man with three-quarters of his darker face masked by a scarf and his dark-blonde hair.

"Zelda, honey?" Her mother entered the room, forcing Zelda to look away from the reflection that was not hers, "I heard screaming. Are you alright?"

Zelda looked back at the mirror, and saw what she expected to see in the first place. A pale, blue-eyed blonde with tousled hair.

"Honey?"

"It's nothing..." She trailed off, "just the after-effects of a bad dream..." She was in a daze. 'It seemed so _real_!'

"OK, well," he mother looked at her in concern again, "Breakfast's in ten, so hurry up."

"Uh-huh..." Zelda could barely hear her mother through the fog that had enveloped her brain. 'Who _was_ the young guy?'

"I'll be out in fifteen..."

Her mother rolled her eyes as she shut the door. The snap of the latch brought Zelda back to reality. Pushing the dream to the back of her mind, she had a quick shower and got dressed.

Sitting at the table, she tried not to think about it. Yet, it kept nagging at the back of her mind.

"Ready to go pick paints, your ticklishness?" Her father came up behind her and began to tickle her sides.

"Daddy... Hahahaha! Daddy! Stop!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Oh... Spoil my fun..." He pretended to pout in a child-like manner. It just made him look older than he was. Zelda erupted into a fresh fit of giggles.

"Well then, let's get started!" She offered, jumping up and headed for the car.

LATER

Zelda had soft-pink paint, and the white of the undercoat, all over her. They had just finished the first coat of paint, after the undercoat. Zelda was a little nauseous from all the fumes, so she went outside to get some fresh-air.

It was Saturday, so they still had tomorrow to finish painting, and to get Zelda organised for school. The thought of it made her squirm. She wasn't worried about not understanding them, her father was an 'Aussie', so she had lived around the accent her entire life.

The thing she was worried about was the people themselves. In the car, she had seen various gangs hanging around the streets, doing God only knows what. She was a very protected person, raised in a peaceful community, with respectable folks, where the worst thing a guy did was swear. Now, it was like she was in a different world. A terrifying world.

She showered again, and changed into her sleeping attire, and skipped out into the living room. Her mother was just about to go to bed, but stopped to wish her only child good-night.

"Good-night, Mum, Dad!" She called, settling into the lounge for the night. She would be sleeping in the living room until the fumes cleared from her room. She surveyed the chaos around her. Her mother had been left to unpack all by herself. It was lucky that all of the heavy things had been put into place yesterday.

Zelda slowly, once again, drifted into a deep sleep, and began to dream...

* * *

**Again, please R&R, and tell me what you thought of it?**


	3. Ancient Look Alikes

Hi all! Here it is!

* * *

To Find The Future, Find The past

Chapter Three:

Ancient Look-Alikes

DREAM

'Link had reached her not quite three days later. She didn't want to admit it, but she had thought him dead.

"These toys are too much for you." Gannondorf spat out vehemently, "I demand you hand them over to me!"

"Never!" Link spat out in what could only be described in desperate defiance, "I'd rather die!"

Gannondorf immediately threw his cloak back and began to hover in the air. The air around the young warrior and the Evil King began to shimmer, until it took the form of a battle ground.

"Then die you shall..."

A great battle ensued. Link was using his Master Sword to deflect the magical bolts that Gannondorf sent flying at him back to their creator. It was like a game of tennis, with a lot of pain, and almost inevitable defeat for Link if he missed even one.

Gannondorf, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself and was getting a little too overconfident. Once, he was laughing so hard, that he didn't even see the magical ball flying at him. That is, until it hit him in the stomach. Using this distraction, Link fired a Light Arrow into Gannondorf's face, weakening him. He then used his Longshot to vault himself over to where the Evil King was moaning in pain, on his knees.

Link showed no mercy. He repeatedly slashed Gannondorf with his sword, until, somehow, Gannondorf recovered. This process happened a few times, until Gannondorf decided that he'd had enough.

He charged a large, black energy ball. Link opened his eyes wide in fear. Gannondorf launched the black orb at Link. He got ready to dodge it, but then it exploded into six or seven of the smaller, yellow ones, coming at him from all sides. There was no missing them. Not that he didn't try. Link was just too exhausted. He was hit by all of the yellow orbs, and collapsed.

"No... Link! No! You can't give up!" Zelda cried out, although she knew he couldn't hear her. But, as if he had, he slowly but painfully stood, and stood in his battle stance, with fire in his eyes.

The tennis games began once again. Link, weakened from his previous blow, missed a few, but refused to die. He shot a final Light Arrow at Gannondorf.

"You will die!" Gannondorf threatened, as he went down, "I will kill you!"

"I will never give up, so long as I still draw breath!" Link cried, as he dealt the final blow to Gannondorf.

Gannondorf dramatically fell to the ground as the walls crumbled with him. The crystal in which Zelda was imprisoned slowly descended towards the ground, and disappeared.

Zelda turned her head to look at Gannondorf.

"Gannondorf... Pitiful man..." She spat at his lifeless body, "Without a pure heart, he could not control the power of the Gods, and look where it got him..."

She gasped. She had heard a loud rumble from somewhere inside the castle below. It was going to implode!

"Link," she said in fear, "we must go, now! With his last breath, Gannondorf used all of his power to demolish the castle, in an attempt to crush us in it's remains. I need you to follow me closely. Watch out for falling debris!"

She led him down a side ramp, until they came to a set of iron bars. She lifted her hands to channel her power and opened the doorway.

They went through five of these doors. In the third tower room they passed, a ring of fire surrounded Zelda. Two Stalfoses appeared out of nowhere and began to attack.

"Link, watch out!" She cried.

Link defeated the first one, no problem. As he turned around, the second one had crept up behind him. Link barely saw the sword before it was swung violently at his head.

Zelda shrieked and covered her eyes. Whether she expected Link's scream of pain or not, she was unsure. But she was sure that it never came.

She opened her eyes to find Link's Mirror Shield held high above his head, blocking the sword. He and the monster seemed to be statues, frozen in time. All of a sudden, the adversaries leapt back into life. Link only dealt one blow to the walking skeleton, before it died. As it went down, the ring of fire around Zelda died down to nothing.

Link followed Zelda through more of those iron doors. Once they made it to the main part of the castle, they ran into a Redead. Zelda was immune to it, but it seemed that Link was not.

"Haven't you dealt with a reasonable amount of Redeads?" Zelda screeched, as the thing latched on to him.

"No..." Link managed to choke out, "they're one... monster I make... a... habit of... avoiding."

"Struggle against it!" She screamed. He was slowly weakening...'

REALITY

"STRUGGLE!" Zelda yelled incomprehensibly, as she fell off the lounge.

She sat up and groaned. She'd had all of these dreams before. They never continued after that point. She desperately wanted to find out what happened, but she was afraid too.

"Honey, are you OK?" Her mother called from the bedroom.

"Yes. I'm fine!" Zelda shouted, a little too loudly. In truth, she wasn't. She'd desperately tried to remain asleep, but it cost her more energy than she'd saved.

"When you're ready," her father came out of the bedroom, yawning, "we'll finish the painting."

"After breakfast." Zelda said groggily, getting herself some bread for the toaster, pondering last night's latest installment to her dream saga.

LATER

Half an hour later, Zelda was once again dressed in her painting clothes. She and her father pried the lids off the paint tins and mixed the paint again. Her father got out two rollers, and gave one to Zelda.

"You do the walls, and I'll do the ceiling." He instructed her. She just meekly nodded, and complied. The dreams were still nagging at her.

'What could it mean?' Her mind raced, 'Why would I be dreaming of these things, if they weren't important? What happened to Link! I must find out!'

"Zelda, honey," her father cut into her troubled thoughts, "you're about to get pink paint on the skirting boards."

Quickly, she moved the roller, and used her shirt to wipe the excess paint off the wall. Again, she tried to push the dreams to the back of her mind, and tried to concentrate on her current task.

EVEN LATER

Four hours flied past alarmingly quickly. In that short space of time, they had given Zelda's room two extra coats of paint, and were currently waiting for it to dry.

Lunch was a pretty silent affair. Zelda's parents sat out on the front verandah, but Zelda herself sat out the backyard, under the rather large Eucalyptus Tree. She breathed in it's scent. It smelt vaguely of antiseptic. She'd found that oddly comforting, considering she hated hospitals, and they reeked of the stuff.

"Zelda!" Her father called her from the doorway, "I have to go to the site, they've found something amazing, and they want me to bring you with me."

"Why?" Zelda was swamped. What would anyone want _her_ there for?

"I don't know," he conceded, "but have a shower and get dressed in some good, sturdy clothes and shoes. It will be a bit of a hike."

Mystified, Zelda complied with her father's orders. She showered and donned an long-sleeved, old T-shirt, a jacket, a pair of old jeans, and a sturdy pair of boots. She also took with her an old backpack.

As Zelda and her father were travelling to the parking lot for the site, Zelda got a huge sense of homecoming. She didn't understand. She'd never been to this place before, in her life. As they got closer and closer, the feeling got stronger and stronger.

When Zelda's father proclaimed that they had arrived, Zelda looked around in awe. They were in the heart of a forest. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.

"Stay close," her father warned, "it's incredibly easy to get lost in here. We've lost more than one good man in these woods."

Zelda stayed so close to him, she may as well have been holding his hand. When they emerged, they were in a field. It had rolling green meadows, a lake to the south-west, a desert to the west and a volcano to the north-east. There seemed to be some sort of barn a little further up the track, and a large, stone structure after that. It was supposedly thousands of years old, yet it seemed so _new_.

"This is a strange place." Her father said to her in hushed tones, "you can't see it when you fly over it, and it isn't marked out on any map."

"This is the old place..." Zelda mumbled, partly to herself, "This place should not be disturbed by one other than the rightful heir... It will anger the Great Goddesses..."

"What?" Her father looked at her strangely. She didn't realise that she had used to old tongue.

"What?" She was so confused. She didn't even remember that she had spoken.

"What did you say? That was clearly _not_ English." She wasn't sure she heard him right. She was about to suggest that he get his ears checked, when a tall, skinny man ran up to them.

"Mr. Hilyan! Mr. Hilyan!" He gasped, as he skidded to a halt in front of them, "We've made a most amazing discovery in the castle! You must come! Bring your daughter!"

Zelda followed the men into the stone structure, which happened to be a fortification wall for the what appeared to be a town plaza. What struck her, though, was the statues that were in pieces all over the place.

They were not corroded. It seemed someone and turned the residents of the town to stone, then smashed them all. When Zelda looked at the expressions of fear on the face of the children, and the helpless-acceptance on the faces of the adults, she was overwhelmed with such a sense of sadness, it was almost impossible to describe.

She followed the men still further up the path, into what looked like a fairy-tale castle. She felt a sense of belonging, like this, _this_, was her home, where she was meant to be.

Inside, the feelings tried to draw her up a particular corridor, but she obeyed her father, and stayed close to him. She followed the two men up to the tallest tower in the castle, and stopped behind them as they opened a door.

"Here it is." The skinny man announced.

Zelda stared. There was a portrait of a slim, petite, blue-eyed blonde. She was wearing a slimming, pink dress, with gold trimmings and the crest of her family on a blue piece of material on the front. Except for the pointed ears, she looked exactly like...

Her.

* * *

**Whew! That's over! Please R&R**

Sweetwater-Rhapsody, I can't believe it! My first reviewer has put me on alert! I feel so special! Thank you for your comments. I hope you liked this one, too! It would be great if you reviewed again!


	4. The Heartless Loved One

**I'm back! This stuff is just rolling off the top of my head, can you believe it? For those people who are waiting for Link, he will be introduced into the story next chapter.**

**(gasp) Let's continue, shall we?**

* * *

She stared at the girl in the painting. How was it possible? She was sure she was seeing things, but then it dawned on her. This was the place in her dreams!

"Oh... My... Dear... God..." Her father muttered, looking at the painting, "She looks just like Zelda!"

Zelda walked up to the portrait, and looked at the plaque underneath. She wasn't sure how, but the squiggly lines and strokes across it made sense to her.

"We still don't know what it says..." she heard the man tell her father, behind her, "we've still got Darren working on translating that stone tablet that we found last year. There's nothing like it, so there's nothing to compare it to. This was a unique people."

"Her Royal Majesty, Princess Zelda of Hyrule..." Zelda read loudly enough for the men to hear, "103 AD to Present." It obviously was during her reign that Hyrule fell.

"Wh-what did you say?" Her father stammered.

"I said:" Zelda was clearly annoyed, "'Her Royal Majesty, Princess Zelda of Hyrule. 103 AD to Present.' You really should get your ears checked."

"You," the skinny man laughed, clearly amused, "a Princess? That's good!"

"But that's what it says!" she said, stomping her foot, "I don't want to be a Princess, so why would I pretend that it said I was?"

"Everyone has their secrets." he simply stated.

"Note to self," she said, loudly enough for him to hear, "I don't like you!" She looked him in the eyes as she said that.

"Zelda!" her father was astonished, "Don't be so rude!"

"Tell him that, then." she said haughtily, as she stormed out of the room.

"Come back here, this instant!" Her father yelled down the halls, disturbing the eerie quiet of the place.

"NO!" She yelled back, and quickened her pace. Her yells bounced off the stone walls, magnifying them. She was sure it would have echoed forever if there hadn't been any windows to let it out.

She almost missed it. There was a slight glimmer down one of the side corridors. Her curiosity got the better of her, and a feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that she just _had_ to go in there.

She'd just reached the door when she felt a cold, clammy hand reach out to grab hers as she was about to turn the doorknob. She whirled around to face the skinny man that had brought her to the castle.

"This door won't open," he said, "we've already tried to open it. It's locked from the inside, and so are the balcony doors. It's locked up like a fortress. Come on, let's go, eh?"

"Let go of me," Zelda threatened, "don't touch me!"

She ripped her hand out of his grip, and turned the knob. The door swung open easily, to the surprise of the skinny man.

There was a bright flash, and Zelda was stunned by it's beauty. It gave her a sense of completion. When it cleared, she got a clear look at the room.

"God," her father had reached them, "what happened, Phil?"

"Light..." Was all the skinny man could get out.

"Zelda, what the heck is that on your left hand?" Her dad choked out.

"Huh?" Zelda looked at her left hand. On it, there was now three triangles. They were glowing with the same aura as the flash. Zelda didn't understand it, but nor was she afraid. She knew that something good, something _very_ good, had just happened to her.

"Something good." Was all she said to her father, before entering the room.

Her father made a motion to follow her in. For some reason, this made Zelda angry. This was _her_ space, no one else's.

"No." She said sternly, "you two stay out there." She made a motion with her hand, and the doors closed. More like they slammed in the men's faces. Zelda was amazed. No one had touched it. She heard the lock click, and she knew she was safe. No one would disturb her.

She surveyed her surroundings. Her instinct told her that she was in the Princess' room. There wasn't a speck of dust around the place. It looked as if the Princess had just stepped out for a stroll in the Royal Garden, and would be back any second. Heck, the book she was reading was still open to the page she had left it!

Upon closer inspection, Zelda noticed that it was in fact a diary, not a reading book. She picked up the beautifully-written text, and flipped through the pages, trying to find something, though she was not sure what. Deciding to read it later, she slipped the book in her backpack.

She decided to search the room a little more. She had a feeling that there was something important hidden in this room. She went through the drawers, and was stunned by three jewels. There was an emerald set in a gold piece shaped similar to the way that one might draw wind. There was a ruby set in a gold piece shaped like a claw. There were also several sapphires set in a gold piece shaped like the way water ripples when a droplet hits it.

She took these as well. Also in the drawers, she found several pairs of earrings, about ten necklaces, and many rings. She also took all of these. Surprisingly, despite their individual weight, they felt like they weren't even there in her backpack.

Next, she checked the bookshelves. She found several books that looked interesting. She took the ones that interested her. Most of them were fictional books, but there were a few mythology books thrown in there as well. She took all of the books without thinking.

Something told her to look under the bed. She lifted the blankets that draped over the sides out of the way, and got down on all fours. She crawled under the bed, and felt around on the floor. Her hand found a handle. She took hold of the handle, and pulled it upward. It swung open easily. The bed was rather high, so space wasn't an issue.

She reached down into the pit that had been exposed, and pulled out a small chest. She didn't have the key for it, though. She stashed this in her bag, too.

It was then that she realised how much she had taken. Yet her bag never gained any weight, and never filled up. She had put so many heavy things in there, yet there wasn't a kilogram gained. She pondered that as she made her way to the door.

As she was about to open the door, something caught her eye. It was two small sculptures, sitting on the mantle. One of them was herself, as the ancient Princess. The other was the young man in her dreams, sticking his sword into some monster's head. She took off her jacket, wrapped them up in it, and put those in her bag as well. She didn't worry about how much her bag could take, because it never seemed to run out of room.

She made sure the room looked as if it hadn't been disturbed. She then set her facial expression to afraid. She was going to pretend that she had been trying to find a way out the whole time.

She jiggled the door a few times. It came open easily, but she had to pretend. She began to cry, putting on an act. She always was good at acting.

"Zelda!" Her father seemed to have been trying to get into the room the whole time.

"Daddy!" She pretended to cry as she flung her arms around him. She didn't know why, but he pushed her away. He had a look of loathing on his face, like looking at her was like looking at the Devil himself.

"Let's just go." He said to her, and she nodded vigorously. Her mind told her that she had done what was needed to be done.

IN THE CAR

Zelda looked at her left hand. The triangles had faded somewhat, but were still noticeable.

She was wondering what she was going to tell her mother. What was she going to say? Somehow, 'hey, Mum. Oh yeah, it was great. Oh, and by the way, an ancient magic embedded itself in my hand and heart for all eternity. OK? I'm off for a shower.' just didn't cut it. How was she going to take it?

She needn't have worried though. By the time they got home, in the mid-afternoon, you couldn't see the triangles unless you were _really_ looking hard for them.

"Dad?" Zelda tried in a small voice, "you know what happened back there?"

He looked as if he wished he didn't.

"Can we not mention it to Mum? Please? I don't want to scare her."

"I had no intention of telling your mother." He said coldly, looking at her with obvious disgust, "We are a good Christian family. Not one word of this gets out. If she found out that we've bred a Devil's Child, it would destroy her." He looked away as if to dismiss her.

"Wait a minute!" Zelda demanded, reaching out to grab his arm, "What do you mean, Devil's Child?"

"Don't touch me!" He was now looking as if he was afraid of her touch, "You are obviously a sorceress. You know things that no normal person could know. You were reading an ancient language. A lost language at that! That burst of light was obviously you practicing the Black Arts to open the locked door. And you used your sorcerer's powers to close it in my face! How can you ask, 'What do you mean, Devil's Child'? It's written all over you! And the mark on your hand must be another of the Devil's unknown brands! You disgust me!" And with that, he spat in her face.

He stormed up the stairs to the front door and slammed it in her face. The tears began to well up in Zelda's eyes. She opened the door and ran to her room. Once inside, she moved a very heavy wardrobe in front of the door. She was glad that the fumes had all cleared, and that the paint had dried.

She flung herself on the bed, and bawled her eyes out. She couldn't remember when she had last cried this hard.

About five minutes later, she stopped crying. Just like that, it was gone. There were no more feelings towards her father there anymore, at all. No love. No respect. Not even any hate. She was cold towards him now. They were so close, and he had insulted her. She would never forgive him for it.

'_Well,_' her mind told her, '_let him say those things. He doesn't know that power I possess. He will see, one day, that he was wrong._'

She wiped her eyes, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She saw a girl who had no future in this world, the way she was. Moving the wardrobe out of the way, she padded down the hall to the bathroom, and washed her face.

Once back in her room, the redness and puffiness had completely disappeared form her face. It was as if she had never been crying.

She sat in front of the mirror and examined herself. She had never done this before, so she was unsure. What would her parents think? Did she really care what they thought of her? No, she decided, she did not.

Steeling her courage, she began to search through the belongings that she had put in the dresser prior, she found what she was looking for. A make-up kit.

She liked the colour of her porcelain skin, so she decided that she wouldn't use foundation. It would give her a sickly look, anyway. She picked up a black eyeliner pencil, and set to work...

* * *

**Please R&R, folks!**

**Sweetwater-Rhapsody, I'm so happy that you stilll like it... I was a little afraid that I'd stuffed it up. I'll let you in on a secret... (whispers) The reason I chose Australia is because that's where I'm from! I hoped you liked this one too.**

**Everyone else, thank you for your reviews! I think the reason that this has been coming along so well is because I have encouragement. This has been nagging at me for ages. If you can find something wrong with it, let me know. I want to fix it if there is something wrong.**

**Thanks if you have read this far!**

**Buh-Bye!**


	5. Enter Link!

**Hey, people! I'm back! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**To Find the Future, Find the past**

**Chapter Five**

**Enter Link!**

Zelda set down the lip gloss and looked herself over in the mirror. She had to admit, she had done a pretty good job of it, and she looked good. The soft-pink eye shadow made her eyes look bigger, and more of an attractive blue. The eyeliner defined the boundaries of her eyes. She had put a little bit of light pink blush on her cheeks, and it seemed to give her a healthy glow. The shiny pink lip gloss simply enhanced her lips.

In simple terms, any guy that looked at her would fall in love with her immediately. She looked beautiful. Everyone would say so, but Zelda could always find fault with her looks. It was the only thing that kept her from making friends back in England. Now, she was simply going to act confident, and hope for the best.

She pulled out her hairbrush, and ran it through her hair. It was straight, and she liked it that way. She did, however, pull the sides back, behind her ears. She lifted the rest of her thick, blonde hair out of the way, and used an elastic band to tie the front bits together at the nape of her neck. She then pulled the rest of her hair back down, hiding her ears, and the tied-up piece. The effect made her seem younger.

She then studied her clothes. She was still in the same outfit that she went to the castle in. If she wanted a complete makeover, she would need a new wardrobe, too. There was nothing that could be done about that for a few days. It was Sunday. She wasn't even sure if there were any clothing stores open today.

Nonetheless, she got her purse, containing her bank card. It wasn't a credit card, but a debit card. She could only withdraw however much she deposited into the account. Her account had been established yesterday, when her mother went into the shopping center to buy her school uniform.

In England, she had been saving fifty pounds a week for the last three years. That was seven thousand, eight hundred pounds. Yes, her family was that rich! When she had arrived in Australia, she had her money exchanged for Australian currency, and it was equal to about eleven thousand, seven hundred Australian dollars. Put simply, she was rich for a teenager. As she headed for the font door, she called out to her mother.

"Mum! I'm going exploring, and maybe do a little shopping!"

"OK, Honey!" Her mum entered the room, "Be back by nine if you going to eat out. Dinner's at seven thirty, if you're going to be home for it. Don't get lost."

She simply nodded, and rolled her eyes as she exited the house. Different country, same curfew. She had every intention of walking, but she had taken but a few steps, then she got an idea. She walked over to the bus stop across the road, and read the timetable and price charts.

The next bus to the shopping village would come in ten minutes, and for a sixteen year old it would cost two dollars and seventy cents to get there. The same fee on the way home.

She ran back to the house, and called out to her mother.

"Mum! Can I please have some change for the bus?"

"Sorry," her mother apologised, "I don't have any. Ask your father."

Zelda steeled herself for the gruesome task of facing her father. She walked out into the backyard to find him reading the Bible.

"Father," she cooed in a sweet voice, "may I please have five dollars forty for the bus?"

She had obviously startled him. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked at her for a few moments, in fear, and reached for his wallet. Zelda rolled her eyes at his reaction. He handed her exactly five dollars forty in fifty and twenty cent pieces.

"Thank you, Father." She cooed again. Then she rushed off back to the bus stop to catch the bus, yelling another quick farewell to her mother.

Barely a minute had passed before the bus arrived. The bus driver seemed to get frustrated with her, because she didn't know the name of the shopping village she wanted. The driver told her that there were numerous shopping villages that the bus passed, and asked which one she wanted.

She was about to tell him never mind, when a guy came up behind her, and put his arm around her.

"Sorry, 'bout that, babe," he said to her, "Mickey held me back at the house. Said he was gonna tell the parentals about the chocolate cake we ate the other day."

Zelda was about to slap him silly, but then she saw him wink so the driver couldn't see. She took this as a sign to go along with it.

"He didn't tell them, did he?" She sounded worried, "I don't want them to ban me from your house, like they were threatening to do."

"Nah, I managed to bribe 'im." He continued on with the act, "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded. Honestly, she deserved some sort of acting award. The guy turned to the bus driver.

"Parkton Shopping Village, please. Both me and my Lady, here."

She and the guy paid their fares, and he steered her to the back of the bus. She made a mental note of the name of the street that she lived on, and the name of the shopping village.

They sat right at the back. Once the bus was moving, Zelda introduced herself.

"Thanks for that. My names Zelda."

"Pleasure." he took her hand and touched it to his lips, "My name is Link. I'm guessing you're new to the area?"

"New to the country, actually." She informed him between giggles. His eyes shot up in interest.

"Oh, and may I enquire what country would be silly enough to export this beautiful creature I see before me?" He said playfully. It was plain to see that he was trying so hard not to laugh. He certainly was charming.

"What beautiful creature?" Zelda said, feigning ignorance.

"You, of course," a slight chuckle escaped him before he continued, "my lovely."

It was too much for both of them. They looked each other, and both burst out in mirthful laughter. People stared at the two of them, but neither noticed it.

"I'm from England." She told him as soon as she caught her breath.

"England, huh?" He reached up to press a button, "That's cool. I've always wanted to go there."

"Trust me, you don't." She assured him, "What was that button for?"

"To stop the bus," he informed her, as the bus rolled to a stop, "See? Come on."

He led her off the bus, thanking the driver as they passed. She followed him into the main shopping complex, and looked around in awe. It was huge. Everything was open, too, even though it was Sunday. Most of the stores had signs or banners over the top, saying: "Spring Cleaning. Everything Half-Price!".

"Aww, crap." Link whined, looking at all the stores. Each and every one of them was swarming with people, "I forgot about the sales."

He'd turned around and was about to exit the store the way they came. Zelda guessed that he was headed back to the bus stop.

"Link, wait a minute!" Zelda called him, as she ran to catch up with him.

"Yeah?" He inquired, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Uh-" Zelda seemed lost for words, so she just blurted it out all at once, "CanyoupleasestayherewithmebecauseIdon'twanttogetlost?"

"What the...?" Was all she got in response.

"Sorry," she apologised, "I said; 'Can you please stay here with me because I don't want to get lost?'. I tend to babble on if I'm nervous."

"Sure."

Zelda blinked a few times. She thought for a second that she was hearing things.

"Really?" She asked him, hope evident in her voice.

"Yeah, why not?" He shrugged.

"Thank you!" She squealed, "But I have to be home by nine. Seven-thirty if I wanna be home for dinner. Do you know what time it is now?"

"It's about..." He read his watch, "four-thirty. You still have three hours to get home for dinner."

"I think I'll eat out, anyway..." She was trying to decide where to go first. She spotted a mobile phone store across the plaza, and decided to go there first.

* * *

**Well, did you like? Please R&R and tell me what you thought!**


	6. Coming Home to a Suspicious Mom

**Hey, all! I'm back! I would have posted this ages ago, but I had to get my computer re-formatted, and I finally got Windows XP! YAY! Now I just have to figure out how to use it...**

**Just wanted to say, thank you to all my reviewers!**

* * *

**To find the Future, Find the Past**

**Chapter Six**

**Coming Home to a Suspicious Mum**

"Which is better," Zelda inquired, confused, "the Nokia or the Motorolla?"

Link looked over her shoulder at the mobile phones. In one hand, she held the newest Nokia model. In the other, she held latest Motorolla model. Link considered for a minute.

"Nokia." He finally answered her.

"I really don't see much difference..." Zelda trailed off, looking at the phones, "I mean, they all do the same thing."

"There's different functions on them..." He told her, "and they all don't navigate the same. The Nokia is more user-friendly, too."

"Oh..." Zelda's head swam. She had only been looking at the things for ten minutes, and she already had a headache.

"Let's just get you a phone, then," Link seemed to have a headache as big as hers, "and be on our way, shall we?"

"Yeah..." She decided on the Nokia, going with Link's advice.

"You'll want the Optus Prepaid, too." He told her as she made her way to the counter.

"Right. Nokia. Optus. Prepaid. Got it." She rattled off.

She made her way to the counter, and waited in line to get to the counter. So she would not be alone, Link came to stand next to her.

Not a word passed between them. Zelda felt that she had met him before today, but brushed it off as deja vu. She got that a lot. She never told her family, though. They were sure to call her a witch, then. The only reason they didn't hate her for her dreams was because of just that. They were only dreams.

'_I wonder...' _Her mind raced, _'if I would be able to go back to the castle without anybody knowing... Nah, probably not... I wouldn't even be able to get there to begin with. How would I get through the woods, anyway? Ugh. So many complications!'_

She was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't realise that the woman at the counter was free. Link prodded her in the middle of the back to get her moving. It _hurt_, too.

She walked nervously up to the counter. She sort of tuned out while Link did most of the talking. All she registered was that Link was talking, then the lady at the counter, then Link again. All she did was pull out her card and do the transaction.

The sound of her name brought her out of her stupor.

"Zelda..." Link attempted to break through her thoughts, unsuccessfully at first, "Zelda... Zelda!"

"Huh... Wha?" She really needed to get out of this shop!

"Let's get outta this shop, huh? It's so crowded!" He sounded quite annoyed.

"Yeah..." She trailed off again, "Sorry, I'm not good with crowds..."

"Well, what are we doing here, then?" He still sounded annoyed.

"I'm venting, I suppose." She smiled sweetly at him. He simply arched an eyebrow as if to say _'riiiight'_.

"I'm serious!" She tried to make a point of it.

"OK!" He said, purely to shut her up, "I believe you!"

They barged their way through the shop, coming to the exit.

"Let's go over there." She pointed to a not-so-crowded clothing shop. Link simply groaned.

"Fine..."

Zelda truly appreciated that he was staying with her, but he could leave at any time. She reminded him of this fact.

"Nah, it's cool." He shrugged it off. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, but there was something really inconsistent about him. Zelda had only known him for about half an hour, and she could already tell.

**LATER (around seven o'clock)**

"So..." Link looked at her through the many bags she was holding, as they sat in the food court.

"So what?" She tried to look through them as well, and was failing miserably.

"Are you going home for dinner?" He inquired, "I mean, the shops are all about to close. There's really no point in staying out."

"Nope," she really, genuinely, wanted to hang out with him some more. She discovered in the past few hours that he was one of the nicest people that she had ever met. And he was really _funny_! She had laughed more in the past two and a half hours than she had ever laughed before. Not that that wasn't hard. Living with her parents was enough to quash anyone's sense of humour.

"Well, what are you going to do, then?" He inquired. Zelda shrugged.

"Depends." She said uninterestedly.

"On what?" Link asked her, getting a drink from a nearby vending machine, then coming back to sit down across from her.

"Dunno," she sounded like she was incredibly bored, "what time do you have to be home?"

"'Round ten." He answered her.

"OK..." They both sat in silence again for several minutes.

"Let's at least drop those bags off at your place..." He said after a few moments, "then we can go do something?"

"Sure..." She was a bit wary now, she still remembered Gonzo's word malfunction, "Why not? I'm just hoping that I won't have to stay home."

They made their way through the no-so-crowded-anymore shop and down to the bus stop. Link had to constantly warn Zelda of obstacles that were in her way. She couldn't see her feet through the bags.

"You know," he said, for at least the tenth time in the past half-hour, "I could carry half of those for you."

"Nah..." She was just stubborn. She wouldn't let him carry her bags if it meant saving her life.

"Are you sure?" He persisted.

"_Yes_!" She said, exasperated.

"OK! OK!" He could tell when to back off.

The bus got there just as they did, so they didn't have to wait. They got straight on the bus, and Zelda had no problems. When they were on, they proceeded straight to the back of the bus.

The entire bus ride was silent. Zelda looked out the window, while Link looked up at the ceiling. The silence was not entirely uncomfortable. In fact, Zelda almost preferred it to talking. Almost.

"Hey, Link?" She piped up suddenly, sort of startling him.

"Yeah?" He seemed to be bored.

"Where do you live?"

"Um..." She had caught him off guard with that one, "About a two minute walk away from you. The next street over. Assuming you live on the street that I met you in?"

"Yup." She tried to forget the place that she now had to call home. It was like living in hell itself, it was that bad.

Link stood up to press the button that indicated that the bus had to stop. They got off the bus, and proceeded to Zelda's front door.

"Here we go..." Zelda breathed, and pushed the door open.

"Zelda?" Her mother called down the hall, "Is that you?"

"Yes!" She called back. There was hardly any face-to-face speaking between her and her mother.

"Good. I want you to stay home." Zelda groaned.

"I had a feeling this would happen..." She muttered, "See you, Link."

"Yeah, see ya 'round." He sounded as disappointed as she did.

Zelda shut the door as she heard the front gate close.

"Who was that boy!" Her mother demanded, coming out into thehall,"And what were you doing with him!"

"He's just some guy I met on the bus." She shrugged,"He showed me around the shopping centre. It's not a big deal!"

Her mother seemed to be more relaxed now.

"Well, dinner is almost ready." Her mother told her, "Wash up."

Zelda went to her room, and dumped her bags on the floor. She would sort them out later. She then proceeded to the bathroom to wash her face and hands. It felt like a long day.

Dinner was a nightmare. Her mother had burnt everything, as per usual, and Zelda's father was incredibly fidgety. There was an unusual lack of conversation and silence reigned over the entire table. As soon as Zelda had finished eating, she excused herself.

In her room, she began to sort the things that she had brought on her shopping trip. She put dresses and shirts in the wardrobe. She put jeans, trousers and skirts in the drawers. She put little ornaments around the room. She put up new curtains. Heck, she even put a new cover on her blanket and pillows! Though they were already pink, this pink went better with the walls, as it was lighter. The other one was too dark. It was the same with the curtains.

By the time that she was done, it was time to go to bed. She set her alarm for six o'clock. That should leave her enough time to get to school early.

She closed her eyes, as she laid down. Once again, dreams plagued her in her, otherwise peaceful, slumber...

* * *

**So... Did you like it? Please R&R and tell me what you thought!**


	7. The Scarlet Letter

**Hey! Yes, I changed my pen name. I had some person that likedto abuse me, so I hadto delete the other story I was writing and change my name. As an apology, I'll upload Chapters 7, 8, 9, AND 10 at once, K? My authors notes will be on the bottom of Chapter 10. I'm just gonna say that it might be going a bit fast, but there will be complictions, ok? Oh... and I suck at writing romantic scenes, so bear with me, ok?

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter 8

The Scarlet Letter

DREAM

'_The Redead had Link by the neck, Zelda was screaming for Link to fight it, and Link was yelling at Zelda to run._

"_Princess! ... You... must go!" He shouted, "You... cannot... die because... of me! You... must... escape!"_

"_No!" She yelled, as sternly as she possibly could, "I will not rest if you die here, after all that you've done for Hyrule! I'll stay with you to the death, Hero!"_

"_GO!" He yelled, as he broke free and began running for the exit, hot on Zelda's heels. He skidded into the iron bars just before Zelda opened them. He almost fell to the ground, but caught himself just in time._

_They raced out the exit just as the castle began to implode. As they reached a safe distance, they both turned around to catch a glimpse of the tower collapsing. They watched the entire thing go down. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion. As the dust settled, they looked at each other, identical looks of relief on their faces._

"_It's over..." Zelda mumbled, partly to herself, partly to Link and Navi, "It's finally over..."_

"_Link!" Navi said in that annoying high-pitched voice of hers, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you in the battle before!"_

"_That's OK." Link told her, surprisingly calm after the battle he had just endured, "I completely underst--" He was cut off by a loud rumble coming from what was left of the castle._

"_What is that sound!" Zelda gripped Link's arm in her delicate hand._

"_Stay here," he motioned for her to wait for him, as he went to investigate, "I'll go check it out."_

_He neared the middle of the ruins, and his worse fears were confirmed. A ring of fire surrounded the ruins, and he turned around to make sure the Princess wasn't on fire._

"_Link! Look out!" She screamed, and pointed behind him. Link swiveled around, and saw Ganondorf. He was still alive._

_Right before their very eyes, he transformed into a hideous monster, called Ganon. He swung his sword at Link, who was barely able to get his shield up._

"_There's no way he's going to hold me back this time!" Navi yelled in a sort of high-pitched battle cry, as she flew towards Ganon, "This time, we fight together!"_

_It was too dark for Link to actually see Ganon, so he aimed for Navi. He was used to actually aiming for his friend. He had done it before on many occasions._

_He ducked, swerved, and attempted to attack Ganon with his sword. However Ganon, with one fling of his own sword, disarmed Link. Link watched as, in slow motion, his Master Sword flew from his hand, barely missed decapitating his beloved Princess, and embedded it's blade in the earth behind her._

_He had to improvise. Instead of his sword, he equipped his bow. He just hoped that the Light Arrows were enough to kill Ganon._

_He still had no idea where to attack Ganon. He had to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Once he had done that, he just circled and used a critical eye to find a spot that wasn't encased in armour. The only piece he could find that might even put a dent in the armour was his tail._

"_It's worth a try..." He mumbled to himself as he drew an arrow, using the spell to infuse it with the power of justice and peace. He let the Light Arrow loose, screeching directly at Ganon's tail._

_The monster was in severe pain. Its cry almost sent Link deaf._

_Link grinned with satisfaction. He had found the weak spot. He got him with the arrow a few more times, taking special care not to get hit, but missed on his last arrow. Instead of hitting his tail, he hit Ganon's head, momentarily paralyzing him. Link took this opportunity to flatten Ganon's tail with the Megaton Hammer._

_The armour, strong as it was, was no match for the hammer. It broke and fell off. Ganon was enraged._

_Link couldn't get away. Ganon hit him in the stomach, sending him flying into a protruding piece of stone from the remains of the castle._

_Link only vaguely heard Zelda's scream. He stood up and shook his head. He caught sight of something a few feet away from him._

_Making sure Ganon could not reach him, he made his way over to the bundle, to find that it was a gift from the Goddesses. Arrows and lots of them. He took only enough to fill his quiver, and hoped that it would suffice._

_Drawing another Light arrow, he once again aimed at Ganon's now-exposed tail. His ears were met with a horrible screeching sound as Ganon howled in pain._

_The flames died down, and Zelda called out to him._

"_Link! Over here!" She yelled in earnest, "The Master Sword! Destroy Ganon with the Sacred Sword!"_

_Link raced to her, praying that the flames didn't re-ignite. He reached his sword, and ripped it out of the ground. He made his way, leaping over various obstacles, directly towards Ganon._

_As he got closer, the flames roared from behind him. Ganon reared up once again, fear evident in the way he backed off from Link._

_Link didn't say a word. He simply drew a Light Arrow, and took aim at Ganon's ugly face. He let loose and paralyzed him once more. He quickly made his way to the rear of the hideous creature, and slashed his tail repeatedly._

_Blood gushed everywhere. Link, in the end, decided that his best bet would be to bleed Ganon to death. He cut off a large portion of the tail, and Ganon fell to the ground in agony._

_Link was so absorbed in his battle that he didn't notice that Zelda had entered the battleground._

_Ganon was imprisoned in a binding light. Link, thinking that it might be another foe, frantically searched for the source. His eyes did not find another enemy, however. They found his beloved Princess._

"_What in the name of Nayru do you think you're doing!" He shouted to her, "You could be killed!"_

"_I'm using my power to hold the Evil King," she yelled, just as fiercely, "You use your sword and deliver the final blow!"_

_Taking the window of opportunity that she had given him, he savagely attacked Ganon. He slashed his face, eyes, ears, and eventually stabbed him in the middle of his ugly forehead._

_Link ripped his sword out as painfully as he could, intending to put the creature that had caused so much pain through as much pain as he had put everyone else through. Ganon shuddered, and laid still after a few moments._

"_Six Sages..." Zelda cried at the top of her lungs, "Now! Ancient creators of Hyrule! Now imprison the Evil Incarnation of Darkness in the void of the Evil Realm!"_

_Ganon turned back into Ganondorf as she said these words._

"_YOU... CURSE YOU... ZELDA!" Ganon's voice carried far into the distance, so that all of Hyrule could hear it, "CURSE YOU... SAGES! CURSE YOU... LINK! Someday, when this seal is broken…that is when I shall destroy your descendants! As long as I hold the Triforce of Power in my hand…"_

_There was a bright light, and Link and Zelda found themselves floating with the clouds…'_

**REALITY**

Zelda woke at that moment, feeling unexplainably upset.

She yawned and looked at the clock. It was only a quarter past three in the morning.

Frustrated, Zelda threw her head back onto the pillows, hoping that sleep would come again. She had slept for about six and a half hours, rather than her usual nine.

Five minutes later, Zelda had come to realize that sleep wasn't going to visit her again. She swung her legs over the side of her bed, and padded over to the lamp that she kept on the dressing table. She turned it on, and began looking around for the backpack that she had taken to the castle. She had almost forgotten about it.

She found the bag, and began pulling out the contents. The two little figurines were still wrapped up in her jacket. Still wrapped, she placed them on the bed beside her. Next to come out was the box. That went next to her on the other side. She took out all the books, and placed them in a neat pile on the floor, and all of the jewelry went in her top drawer.

At the bottom of the bag was the diary. She didn't know how she could have possibly forgotten about it.

Sitting against the headboard of her bed, she opened the small book, and began flipping through the pages. She stopped about halfway through the book, and read the entry.

'Diary,

I think I may need comfort! My father is forcing me into a marriage to a man that I detest and despise with every fibre of my being!

His name is Rayton, and he is the Prince of Yodde. I only met him today, yet I sense that the man would be bad for me. Again, my father refuses to listen to me! He dismisses it as what he calls "puppy-love" for my best friend.

And, yet, I do love Link. But I don't think it is "puppy-love". I am deeply in love with him, and if it were possible, I would have married him years ago, right after we defeated Ganondorf together.

But, alas, I was blind then. I did not see the feelings of love burning deep within me, and I sent him back to his original time… Something I shall never forgive myself for, yet something I have come to terms with.

As it is, I still know him. Right after he returned from his journey in Termina, he came to the castle, and I begged my father to take him in, even if it was only as a soldier. Eventually, I got my way, and he has lived here ever since.

That's my daily gripe.'

Zelda flipped through the dairy, finding herself reading more and more about this Rayton, and found that she also detested him. She came to a page, written a few months later, that was not as carefully set out as the others. It was written with what appeared to be a shaking hand and what appeared to be water marks from tears.

'Dairy,

I can't believe this! How could he do this to me? I told him that I would always love him! How could he? How COULD he?

Since I told Link about the engagement, I thought he took it fairly well. I guess I was wrong. TERRIBLY wrong!

Once he found out about it, do you know what he did? He went and slept with Malon! MALON! The ranch girl!

And that wasn't the worst of it!

He got her PREGNANT!

I was going to run away with him… but I guess it's not possible now. Being the 'honourable' young man that he is, he is going to marry her. Making any chances of a life together that we might have had disappear.

He has apologized to me, and has begged for my forgiveness, but I don't think that I'll be able to look him in the eye again. He has hurt me so deeply.'

Zelda couldn't read the rest. It was too smudged from the tears. As she closed the book, she saw a little scarlet red envelope slide out of the pages. Curious, she picked it up, and opened it. A letter, written in scarlet ink, addressed to 'my descendant' was inside. Zelda read the letter.

'My descendant,

Only the true heir to the Throne of Hyrule can read this letter. If you are not sure, rest assured that you are. I have placed a spell on my doors and windows so that no one but my heir can open them.

I have also placed a spell on this letter. If you can read this, you would be the only one. This will look like a blank piece of paper to anyone else. Keep it with you. You will need it.

I have many confessions to make. Most of them will be covered in this letter.

My first, and most important, is this:

Although there are no records of one, I have a child. Five years ago, from the day I wrote this letter, I gave birth to a living daughter.

The Sages and I all knew that this child would be special. She had no father. This I can be sure of. I had never had any type of sexual relations with a man before my wedding day.

I could not bring myself to tell my father of my pregnancy, for fear that he would disown me. Instead, I went to my nursemaid, Impa. She and the rest of the Sages contacted the Hero of Time. They told him to take me away from the kingdom, to a far away land.

I was told to bear the child in secret, and give it away to a good home. Link was instructed to keep me safe. He took me to a land that I still do not know the name of. We hid in a cave, and spoke to no one.

Link, of course, had friends in the local area, who said that they would take the baby. I have never met these people, but I trusted Link's judgement. I still do.

I have never met my daughter, and I don't even know her name. I never even got to hold her. All I know is that Link keeps in contact with the people that took her, and that she is very happy where she is. I have no wish to destroy that.

My second confession, is that I am a murderer. This I have not even confessed to Link

On my wedding night, roughly three years ago, my husband forced himself onto me. He savagely beat and raped me, and I was determined to never, ever, let it happen to me again. As soon as we were on the road to Yodde, I took an arrow to his heart. It killed him instantly.

As it was done at night, No one saw me. I have never been suspected. They all assumed that it was an assassin sent from his neighbouring country. I was sent back to the castle, and regained my status as Princess, and never more a word was said on the issue.

I have never felt remorse for what I did. He deserved everything he got. Even death was too generous for him. I just thank the Goddesses that I did not become with-child.

There will be much that you will need to know. You must seek out the Sage, Rauru. He will tell you what you need to know. How you find him is up to you. All the advice I can give you is this:

He will give you a quest. To complete it, you must find the Hero of Time. He will be the only one that can help you.

The two of you will be re-incarnations of the two of us. We need this chance to let our souls rest.

If you do not know where to find the Hero, there is a clue in the lilttle figurines on my mantle. The female is me, and the male is him.

I beg of you, please help me to rest my soul, and all of the lost souls of Hyrule…

Sincerely,

Princess Zelda of Hyrule'

Zelda was crying by now. She believed that she had no choice. Had you asked her to do this a week ago, she would have laughed at you. Now, it was a different story.

Wiping her tears, she reached for the bundle at the foot of her bed. Unwrapping it, she took a look at the male figurine. She gasped.

It was Link…


	8. Strange Feelings

* * *

**To Find The Future, Fund The Past**

**Chapter 8**

**Strange Feelings**

Zelda could barely pay attention in her first four classes that day. Apparently, the school was nearing the end of the school term. The holidays came in another two weeks, to be exact.

Since she had discovered that Link had been the one she would have to look for, it had pieced together in her mind. The unexpected kindness he had shown her, the instantaneous friendship, the unexplainable trust… and the hurt whenever she looked into his eyes… It all made sense.

During lunch, Zelda was sitting alone. She didn't like any of the people that she had met that day.

Someone crept up behind her, and covered her eyes with their hands. Zelda was about to dig her elbow in their abdomen when…

"Guess who?" someone whispered into her ear.

Zelda knew that voice!

"Link?" she asked softly. The hands were removed from her eyes, and he came around to sit next to her.

"What are you doing here, all by your lonesome?" he looked at her, tilting his head in a comical way. It made his shaggy, blonde hair fall into his deep blue eyes. The effect was stunning. Zelda shrugged, but her stomach was doing flips.

"No one here is really the sort of friend I'm looking for, so I guess I'm not gonna make any friends today." She tried to sound like she didn't care. The reality of it stung her, though. She didn't want this school to be like the other one, where she would be the loner.

"Well," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "it's lucky that you have me then, eh?"

Zelda went bright red. She cursed herself for not putting on any foundation when she did her makeup that morning. The feel of his body against hers was strangely warm, considering it was winter.

"I suppose so." She managed to choke out. It was strange that she could barely speak around him today. She hadn't even met him twenty four hours ago, for Din's sake!

Zelda mentally slapped herself. She was not to use the names of the Great Goddesses in place of what could be a curse word. She would be punished later by the Sages, if she ever met them.

"Well," he got up, and offered her his hand, "let's get you introduced to my siblings and cousins then, huh? I think you'll like them, and I know they'll just love you!" he said, half jokingly.

"Thanks." She didn't take his hand, but stood up on her own. He looked vaguely hurt by this. "Let's go!"

Link led her over to a corner of the grounds that was shrouded in a family atmosphere. She knew that, should the inclination take him, he would be instantly accepted by these seven girls and five guys. Zelda, however, was another story.

"Who's the chick?" some guy, possibly Link's younger brother, piped up.

"I'm going to let her introduce herself…" Link trailed off, hearing his name being shouted out from across the oval, "I gotta go. Go easy on her, will ya? I don't want you scarin' off another one."

Everyone, except poor, petrified Zelda, laughed as he ran off to play a game of soccer. Everyone went back to what they were doing before Zelda and Link had shown up. Zelda just stood there, not knowing what to say or do.

"Is she still there?" a little female voice said from the group. A few of them looked over at Zelda.

"Yup." Another voice, this time male, replied to the small female voice.

"She _so_ obviously has a bleach job!" one of the older girls was muttering, "I mean, no one has blonde hair that colour! It's too perfect!"

"_Ahem_!" Zelda scared the living daylights out of them, forcing her voice to work, "I would appreciate it if you did not talk about me like I am not even here! I do have ears, and I can hear everything you are saying!" she was so angry, she was beginning to hyperventilate, "And, for your information, this is my NATURAL hair colour!"

Zelda flicked her thick ponytail over her shoulder, and stormed off in the other direction. She didn't notice that one of the smaller girls, possibly a thirteen year old, had begun to follow her.

"Excuse me…" the little girl piped up, Zelda recognized the voice as the girl that asked if she was still standing there like an idiot.

"Yes?" Zelda turned around to look at the tiny girl.

"Umm… I'm sorry." And with that, the small girl took off.

**DURING FIFTH PERIOD**

Zelda had finally found a subject that she liked. History.

She listened, enraptured, as the teacher droned on about myths and legends of ancient people, and handed out a form. It was to visit the castle that her father took her too. They had taken to calling the place 'Australia's Piece of Mystic History'. It sickened Zelda.

Zelda glanced over at Link. He was sitting a few desks to the left of her. She found that he too had just happened to glance at her at that exact moment. She managed not to choke, and flashed him a little smile. You could have fried an egg on her face. He smiled back at her showing many of his teeth. At least they were better than Gonzo's.

Zelda was sure she had imagined it, but his face seemed to have turned a little pink when she smiled at him. She dismissed it as wishful thinking. But what she was wishing, she had no idea.

"There will be a little competition," the teacher was saying, "to find a name for the place, until the true name is discovered. You have two months to return the note, and pay the money. The only hitch is that it is overnight, and on a weekend. There will be full details at Friday's year meeting."

The was a shuffling of paper and bags as students folded their notes and put them away. After a few moments, the noise died down.

"Now, we will be studying this place, but we have no ready texts that are published, nor any sources that are not valuable, or reliable for that matter." The teacher took a deep breath, "We are extremely lucky to have all of the thing that we do have, though. They are all copies, but are actually used for the research, so I must ask you not to break anything. The only reason we have these materials is because they are on loan to us from Mr. Gregory Hilyan. Zelda," the teacher glanced in her direction, making her squirm, "I would ask you to thank your father for loaning these priceless artifacts, and to tell him that I will _personally_ make sure that they are not befouled in any way."

"Yes, Miss…" Zelda was tomato red. There were a few gasps from the class. She must have been radiating heat or something.

"Now," the teacher extracted an instrument from under the desk, "I want someone to tell me what this might be. And what it was used for."

Zelda looked around the room. It was pitiful. Didn't anyone know an Ocarina when they saw one? Zelda raised her hand, and the teacher nodded at her.

"It's a musical instrument." She stated, positive that she was right, "The people believed that they could speak to the spirits by using it."

"That's…" the teacher faltered, "an interesting idea. But how would you play it?"

Zelda stood up and proceeded to the front of the room. She pointed to various holes and the mouthpiece.

"You blow in through here, and use your fingers to play different notes."

"Well," the teacher huffed, "would you care to give us a demo?"

"With _that_?" Zelda wasn't sure.

"Yes, that." The teacher chided her, "It's a new one, made from the cast of the old one."

"Oh…" Zelda was embarrassed. She took the instrument from the woman, and put it to her mouth. She froze for a minute, feeling a sense of familiarity. Not with the instrument itself, but the shape of it.

The class began laughing at her. Feeling unsure, she put her fingers to the holes, and blew. The one note threw her into the rhythm of it. One note, and she recalled the entire Hylian stave.

'Left… Up… Right… Left… Up… Right…' Zelda recalled in her head, playing the entire lullaby for the class to hear.

"Well." The teacher huffed again, clearly irritated, as the class began to applaud, "That sounds fairly remedial. Could you play something a little faster?"

Zelda felt that she was being singled out by the teacher for some humiliation. It wasn't fair. Zelda felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

"I'd like to try, Miss." Link had his hand up in the air, waving it around. The teacher simply nodded at him, and took the instrument from Zelda as she went to sit down. Wiping it off, she handed it to Link.

Zelda sat down, and watched him. He struck up a faster tune then she did. She immediately recognized the notes that he played. 'Down, Right, Left, Down, Right, Left' she followed the song that he played in her mind. Like the lullaby, it sounded familiar to her. As he played the final note, the class erupted into applause, much as they did for Zelda.

Link handed the Ocarina back to the teacher, and sat down at his desk. Zelda looked at him, and he smiled at her, sending her stomach into back-flips. She smiled back, and he winked at her.

Just then, the bell went to signal the end of the school day.

* * *


	9. A Moonlight Meeting

* * *

**To Find the Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 9**

**A Moonlight Meeting**

Zelda sat on her bed reading that night. She found the old Hylian texts quite fascinating, and had absorbed as much of it as she could in the past few hours. The ones that interested her the most, though, were the ones about the legend of the Hero of Time.

They all described the Hero as a loner, and the Princess was surrounded by people. All the Hero had was his forbidden friendship with the Princess, and she still barely had any time for him.

It seemed to Zelda to be the reverse this time. The 'Hero' was the one surrounded by friends, and the 'Princess' was the loner. Zelda thought bitterly that there was a cosmic joke being played on her. It was like the Goddesses were toying with her.

Zelda honestly didn't want to be a princess. She had no desire to. If she were presented with the choice, rather than be destined to take it for the good of the world, she would have turned it down. But, unfortunately, she didn't have a choice in the matter.

Zelda's reading was disturbed as her mobile phone started beeping. She jumped out of her skin, and reached for the small device. In the little display screen, it told her that she had gotten an SMS. The only ones that had Zelda's number were her mother, and Link. She had given it to him when she activated it at the shops yesterday.

She opened the inbox to find that it was indeed from Link. It read;

'Hi, soz 4 upstagin u skool. meet me outside ur place in 10 mins. i need 2 tlk 2 u.'

Confused, she closed the message, and deleted it. She couldn't risk her parents knowing that a boy had her number. They'd go ballistic!

She looked herself over in the mirror. She was wearing her new favourite, pale pink, shirt, her dark blue hipster jeans, and sandals. She changed her sandals for a pair of not-so-high heels, and did a touch-up of her make-up. She also pulled out a new pair of dangling triangle earrings, and put them in.

She checked the clock. The touch-up, earrings and change of shoes had taken seven minutes! She locked the new lock that she had bullied her father into putting on the door, and climbed out the window. It was ten o'clock, way past her curfew, so there was no way her parents were going to let her out. Even her parents were in bed.

She snuck around the house, and emerged out into the front yard. There, sitting on the fence, was Link. She gasped when she saw him. He was wearing a dark blue, possibly black, shirt, and dark blue jeans. His, long, dark blonde hair was tied back, and he didn't have his customary cap on, either. His clothes showed off his well-muscled physique, and complemented him better than the school uniforms did.

Zelda mentally kicked herself. '_Friends are off-limits_!' her mind screamed at her.

'_But that doesn't mean you can't perve on them…_' another part slyly put in.

'_Just see what he wants!_' the most reasonable part of her mind overrode the rest of the voices.

"Hey," Zelda said softly, not wanting her parents to hear her if they happened to wake, "what's the matter? Not many people send messages at ten in the night."

"Walk with me." Was all he said. Zelda's curiosity was at its peak. She followed him, silent as a mouse, down several alleys, and eventually they stopped in the park.

"What's going on?" Zelda demanded to know, louder this time, "You do know that if my parents wake up, and I'm not there, they'll—"

He turned around to face her, and there was a touch of nervousness in his words.

"It's alright… I won't keep you out past midnight…" he mumbled, "I just wanted to talk to you, alone…"

"About what?" she prompted him. He was obviously scared.

"Well…" he faltered, unsure, "you have to promise not to laugh at me… Or get mad at me…"

Zelda firmly nodded her head. She had begun to feel butterflies in her stomach.

"I promise."

"I don't know why…" he started, "But I just feel… like… I don't know what it is…"

Zelda sensed that he was having difficulty expressing himself. She looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes, and put her hand on his well muscled arm in an encouraging way. What she heard next was definitely _not_ what she expected.

"I really like you, Zelda…" he choked out, and looked away, "I think… as more than a friend… I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore… I mean, we barely even met thirty six hours ago… But I just had to get it out."

Zelda was stunned. He liked her? He _liked_ her? _Her_? The freak that had dreams of monsters and Princesses and Heroes? _Her_?

She smiled, as she realized that she liked him, too. As more than a friend. She thought it must have carried on from their past lives. But she definitely liked him as he was in this life, too.

She put her hand to his chin, and turned his face to look at her. She looked into his fearful eyes, and smiled.

"Why would I not want to talk to you?" Zelda whispered, "Especially since I like you, too?"

Link's face cracked into a huge smile, mirroring Zelda's. He pulled her close, and gave her a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent, and twined her arms around her neck, playing with his soft hair. Until she felt his touch, she didn't know how much she needed it. She didn't know how much she had craved it. Standing there, holding him, and being held by him, felt so right.

He pulled back a little, and looked into her eyes. Their eyes both shone.

He lowered his face to hers, and she tilted her head up. They both fluttered their eyes closed, and waited for the moment when their lips would touch.

It was magic, pure and simple. Everything else seemed to melt away as his lips touched her own. All she was aware of was him, and he her. Their kiss was innocent, sweet and tender.

He pulled her even closer, if it were possible, and touched his tongue to her closed lips. Happily, she let him in. His tongue explored her mouth, and both of them took pleasure in it.

Eventually, they had to pull away for air. Zelda, face flushing, looked at Link, and smiled as he leaned in again.

They continued on like this for several minutes, before Zelda became aware of how late it was.

"What time is it?" she breathed, leaning against Link's well-muscled chest.

"Around eleven," he whispered, "maybe eleven thirty."

"_What_?" Zelda almost screeched, completely destroying the moment, "I have to get home! My parents are gonna kill me if they find out I've gone!"

"OK, OK," Link looked vaguely disappointed, "I'll walk you home."

He held Zelda's hand, wrapping his fingers in between hers. She didn't object, either. She quite enjoyed it, to be honest.

All too soon, they arrived at her house. Silently, they crept around the back to Zelda's bedroom window.

"See you tomorrow." Link breathed to her as they shared another kiss, and he helped her into the room.

"See you tomorrow…" she echoed as she shut the window, and he crept off.

Zelda smiled to herself as she silently changed into her pajamas. She didn't have a worry in the world at that point.

She continued to smile as she drifted into a deep, seemingly, dreamless slumber.

* * *


	10. The Moral Never Show Affection in Public

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 10**

**The Moral? Never Show Affection in Public**

Zelda's eyes fluttered open when the alarm went off. She groaned and rolled over, shielding her ears from the noise with her pillow. In her groggy mind, memories of last night came crawling back. Slowly at first, then with alarming clarity.

She bolted up, and turned the alarm off. Bounding out of bed, she made her way down to the bathroom to have a shower.

**AT BREAKFAST**

"Baby," 'Baby' was Zelda's mother's affectionate name for her, "Why are you so happy this morning. Not that I mind, of course. It's just that you're usually irritable in the morning." She added quickly, seeing the upset look fleeting onto Zelda's face. She truly had no wish to upset her daughter.

"I dunno." Zelda shrugged, "I just am." She flashed a smile at her mother. Meanwhile, her mind was screaming '_liar_', but she couldn't tell her parents about her meeting with Link last night. Then they'd never let her near him ever again. In fact, they wouldn't even let her go to the same school as him. So it was best that they didn't know.

"I'm off." Her dad stood up, and pecked her mother on the cheek. He simply looked at Zelda, and inched his way out of the room, eyes never leaving hers. This did not go unnoticed by Zelda's mother.

"What's going on between you two?" she asked, when the front door closed, "You've been cold towards each other since you came back on Sunday. Did you think I hadn't noticed?"

"Ask him." Zelda refrained from making a comment that she might regret, "I'm _not_ in the mood to talk about it."

Zelda left her mother shock as anything at the kitchen table as she left for school.

**SCHOOL (8:30 am) **

Zelda sat on the park benches. Alone again. She kept wondering if Link would turn up, and if he did, what would he say? Zelda didn't want to admit it, but she did value his opinion quite highly. Even higher than her mother's opinion.

She closed her eyes and massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers. She needed more sleep. She may have been feeling fresh as a daisy this morning, but the freshness was disappearing fast. The daisy was certainly well and truly wilted by now.

"Hey," Zelda felt someone slide onto the bench next to her, "Why are you here, by yourself?"

Zelda looked at Link, and shrugged.

"Well, unless you're going somewhere…" she inquired with her eyes, "I'm not alone, am I?"

"I guess not." He laughed. The sound of his laughter sent Zelda sky-high. It may have seemed to be a normal laugh to others, but it was the most beautiful thing Zelda had ever heard.

"Come on," he surprised her, "let's go over there." He pointed to a bunch of guys playing soccer. Zelda shook her head.

"I'm afraid of any guy with some form of ball." She stated, "Be it a tennis ball, or a soccer ball. I'm mortally afraid of the things."

"But we're not going there." He chided, "Look further away, past them."

Zelda looked, and saw the group that Link had taken her to yesterday.

"I'm afraid of them, too." She said, half-jokingly.

Link laughed again. He sat there and shook his head. Then, he stood up, a wicked look on his face.

Zelda sat back nervously, trying to guess what he might do. He surprised her by shrugging, and walking away.

"Wait a minute!" she called from her seat on the bench, "Where are you going?"

"Well," he turned around, and flashed her a cock-eyed grin, "Since you don't even want to try, I'm going to find another girlfriend. One who's willing to try to get along with my family."

"Fine," Zelda huffed, knowing what he was trying to do, "You do that! See if I care!" He was _not_ going to get the better of her with that old trick. She might've liked him, but she wasn't going to follow him around like a lovesick puppy.

She made a decision right there and then. She was going to let him stew. She wouldn't talk to him all day. Silence was useful for more than one thing.

**RECESS (10:55 am) **

"Come on, talk to me…" Link whined, prodding her in the side. Zelda just looked away, and smiled. He certainly made it difficult, but she was _not_ going to cave. Not until he apologized to her. What he was apologizing for, though, she had no idea. She just wanted an apology.

"Fine!" he huffed, "I'm _sorry_! Now will you talk to me? I don't know what I'm apologizing for, but will you talk to me now?"

"Yes." Zelda laughed, looking over at him.

"Oh. My. God." Zelda heard a vaguely familiar voice come from behind them, "It's Zelda Hilyan, the old school freak! And look who she's with. My man! Link, how could you?"

Zelda turned, and saw her worst nightmare. Ruto Waters. She may have changed in the past two years, but Zelda recognized her instantly. Zelda groaned.

"Piss off, Root." Link dismissed her.

"But—" Ruto tried to gain his attention, but he cut her off.

"But nothing! I said _piss off_! Now make like a tree, and leave!" He was even more annoyed than he was on Sunday.

Ruto thought that it might be wise to comply. She walk away, sulking.

"I hate that bitch." Link muttered as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Well, I've probably seen a lot more of her than you have." Zelda muttered back.

"How?" Link was intrigued. Didn't they just meet?

"Well," Zelda looked over her shoulder, to make sure Ruto wasn't anywhere near, "She used to go to my school, back in England. She was the school's 'cool' girl. The girls wanted to be her, and the guys wanted to be _with_ her. It was quite _disgusting_, really. I watched them follow her around like puppies, analyzing her every move. She was a real _bitch_. Especially towards me. She was one of the _major_ reasons that I didn't make any friends back in England."

Link let out a low whistle, and patted her on the shoulder.

"I take my hat off to you." He joked, "Or, I would. If the teacher hadn't confiscated it off me. Anyone who can put up with that deserves my respect."

Zelda laughed, and closed her eyes. It was strange. If anyone else had said that to her, she would have rolled her eyes at them. When she opened her eyes, however, Link's face was alarmingly close to her own.

"What are you doing?" Zelda whispered.

"This." He muttered, as he kissed her.

Again, the world melted away as Zelda was absorbed by the kiss. She even forgot that they were in public. She scooted closer to him on the seat, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She'd just wrapped her arms around his neck, when…

"P.D.O.A!" Some senior called out, pointing at them.

Both of them sprang apart, crimson cheeks and all. They looked around at the small crowd that had gathered to watch the proclaimed 'P.D.O.A'. Whatever that was.

"Rack off, Dick!" Link yelled at the senior. He, for some reason, slinked away into the back of the group. One death glare from Link, and the rest of them disappeared as well.

"Who was that?" Zelda inquired, embarrassed as hell, "I wanna know what name to put on the death warrant."

"My older brother, Richard." He tried not to laugh, "Affectionately know as 'Dick'."

"Why?" Zelda cocked her head to look at the guy on the other side of the asphalt.

"Because he acts like one." He looked over at him, too. They both laughed as they saw him really trying to get some girl's attention.

"What's a P.D.O.A?" She had a few more questions, but she wouldn't ask them.

"'Public Display Of Affection'. Don't you know anything about social terms?" He raised his eyebrow at her, making her giggle nervously.

"Nope." She answered truthfully, "You'll have to teach me, wont you?"

"I guess I will…" he laughed.

**AFTER SCHOOL **

When Zelda got home that afternoon, both of her parents were waiting for her at the door. Her mother took her by the ear, and led her to the car. Forcing her in, they drove off. To where, Zelda didn't know.

"What's going on!" Zelda demanded from the back seat. When they looked back at her, she began to feel fear beginning to gnaw at her mind.

"Explain this." Her mother threw an orangey-brown envelope at her. Zelda opened the envelope, and looked at the contents.

"You had me followed!" Zelda couldn't believe it. She was enraged. How could they do this to her?

"You have _always_ been followed." Her father told her, never taking his eyes off the road, "Ever since you started high-school. Even in England."

Zelda started spluttering, and looked down at the contents of the envelope again.

There were pictures in there. Pictures of before she rejected Gonzo, right up to today's kisses in the schoolyard. They even had pictures of when she snuck out last night. It seemed the only time she wasn't followed was when she went to the toilet, or had a bath.

"How could you!" Zelda screeched, mainly to her mother, "How _could_ you!" Zelda started to cry there and then.

"Stop crying." Her mother said sternly, "You've sinned. You must now face the punishment."

"How have I sinned?" Zelda demanded to know. She hadn't done anything wrong! Not really, anyway. She'd just acted like a regular teenager. It wasn't like she had slept with him, or anything.

"You've obviously had sex with that boy." Her father said, in a disturbing manner, "No self-respecting girl would let a man grope her as such otherwise."

"How was that groping?" Zelda demanded, "he had his hands around my waist. Big deal! You wanna see groping, you should look at the magazines I found under Grandpa's bed last summer! That's groping, not this!" She held up the pictures.

Zelda's mother turned again, and hit Zelda over the head with something. Zelda wasn't sure what it was, but it hurt. The next thing she knew, she was fighting to stay conscious. In the end, the darkness won over, and Zelda fell, face first, on the floor.

* * *


	11. The Forest

**Hey. Thanks a bunch to the people who reviewed. Let me just say now, I have nothing against Christians, but it was the first dominant religion I could think of. So, please don't be offended… Enjoy! **

**

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find the Past **

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Forest **

"The poor thing…" Zelda heard a child's voice, as she came to the edge of consciousness. She wasn't sure how long she was out, or how she got there.

"She's waking up!" another voice, also a child, exclaimed. Zelda's eyes fluttered open. She groaned, and tried to sit up.

"Don't move too fast," Another little girl said, bending over and helping her stand, "You'll just hurt you head more."

"Someone go get Saria!" someone called out.

"No need," a sweet little voice cooed, "I'm already here. Take her to my house. Find her some clothes and food. I'll be there in a minute, and I'll dress her wound myself."

Zelda was dimly aware of what was happening. All she was aware of was that there were a bunch of little girls around her, her head hurt, and that she was cold. Very cold.

Looking down at herself, she realised that she had no clothes on. This startled her to full alert. She remembered everything to do with how she got there. The rest of it was still enveloped in a thick fog.

Her parents had forced her into the car and accused her of sleeping with Link. She had tried to protest, but they hadn't believed her. She had argued with them, and her mother had hit her over the head. She had fallen unconscious, and had woken up in the… Forest?

"Where am I?" she mumbled, confused, as the little girls led her to a small village. All of the houses were made of hollowed-out trees.

"This is Kokiri Forest!" The children chorused. Zelda just looked around as they all dragged her to a house in the middle of the village. They left her inside, and told her to wait.

Head thumping, she shivered, and curled up into a sort of ball. She waited there for about five minutes, before a little girl with green hair and clothes came into the house. Zelda stared at the girl as she examined the wound on Zelda's head.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked softly. She had the feeling that she was safe here, in this village.

"My name is Saria." She smiled at Zelda in a reassuring way, "I am the Sage of the Forest. Don't worry, you're safe here."

Sage… That rung a few bells in Zelda's head. But she was so out of it that she couldn't pinpoint it. Giving up, she busied herself with staring out the window.

Saria touched her finger to Zelda's forehead, and the pain was gone.

"What did you do?" Zelda inquired, looking at the little girl who was, apparently, more than she seemed.

"It's Sage's magic." The Saria said simply, looking at Zelda with a raised eyebrow, examining her for more wounds.

Zelda remembered where she had heard about Sages! She was supposed to find Rauru! But… How would she?

"It looks like that was your only wound." Saria told her, sitting back on a log, "You should consider yourself very lucky. Most of the young women from the outside world who get dropped in this forest naked have usually been raped. Or are dead. Or both."

"My father might be a bastard, but he wouldn't do that." Zelda spat out, "It is a sin, after all. My name is Zelda, by the way."

"Ah…" Saria muttered, apparently not surprised, "He follows the Christian faith?" Zelda nodded, "That's what tore Hyrule apart, you know… The Christians came from the east, and tried to overthrow our King and Princess, simply because they believed in the Triforce myth. Even the Gerudo, the fiercest fighters of Hyrule's six races, would not stand a chance when the first waves of attackers came from the east—"

"We have clothes and food!" three girls appeared at the door.

"Good, just leave them there." Saria pointed to a log near the door. The small girls deposited the bundles on the appointed spot. They then disappeared into the fog of the forest.

Saria then jumped up and drew a curtain over the windows and door. She then headed over to the bundle, and unfolded it. In it was some sort of clothing, a flask of clear water, and some type of Kokirish food, Zelda guessed.

"Here," Saria handed Zelda the strange garments, "Put this on. I'll help you. It will be a little tight, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. You seem small enough."

The dress, as Zelda guessed it was, was tiny. Zelda was small for her age, but this was ridiculous! The little green dress came up to the top of her legs, and just covered her bum. There were little shorts that Zelda supposed was underwear. A belt went across her waist, heightening her figure even more. The green stockings, which were the largest in the village, were too small for her, so her legs remained uncovered. The boots were alright. They actually fitted her perfectly. She took one look at the headband, and refused it instantly. Zelda had always hated green, but today she was clothed in it. She certainly was _not_ putting it in her hair!

Now that she was dressed, Saria gave her the food and water. Zelda didn't care what it was. She was so hungry that she could have eaten dung and not complained. She actually found that the food tasted rather nice.

"Now," Saria whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening, "No one around here, except for me and maybe Mido, knows who you really are. They all think that you're just some woman who was dumped in the woods by another man and woman. They have no concept of age, so don't ask them how old they are. I am the only one in this forest who does—"

"Why don't they know how old they are?" Zelda cut in, quite rudely, but she didn't care about manners at the moment. All she knew was that she was dumped in a forest with little elves that looked like human children with pointy ears.

"Well… how to put it?" Saria seemed to be searching for the right words, "The Kokiri never grow up. It's been exactly one thousand, eight hundred and eighty five years since Hyrule fell, and almost everyone in this village was around before then."

Zelda was taken aback. Never, even in her wildest dreams, did she think something like this would happen.

"And…" Zelda had a few more questions to ask, "Do you know who the oldest is?"

"Well, we are always created two at a time. One boy and one girl. The oldest two are Mido and myself. Only by a few years, mind you. For about five years, it was just the two of us, and the Great Deku Tree. Mido nearly drove me crazy." she paused for a moment, "I know it's rude to ask, but how old are you?"

Zelda giggled. For a child, she certainly was wise. Zelda realised that the only way to figure out what was going on was to answer any of Saria's questions.

"I'm sixteen."

"And have you been having the dreams? The ones where you and the Hero of Time fought together?"

"Yes, but they've stopped recently." Saria nodded. This was apparently a good sign.

"And have you got the Triforce of Wisdom?"

"The what?" Zelda was stupefied, "What's a 'Triforce'?"

"A sacred relic," Saria sounded shocked that she didn't know, "The source of power for the Sage of Destiny."

"And who is that?" Zelda inquired politely, looking at the, decidedly strange, little girl.

"You." Zelda fell off the chair that she had just sat on, out of shock, and was headed straight for the pointy end of a pitchfork. She screamed, and put out her left hand out of instinct. There was a flash, and she was standing on Saria's bed, nowhere near the pitchfork.

"I'll take that as a yes." Saria was rubbing her eyes, "But it's not supposed to be on your left hand. It's supposed to be on the hand that you use most frequently. You _are_ right-handed, correct?"

"Yes, and no." Zelda was forced to admit, "I'm actually left handed. I just got into the habit of using my right hand when my father told me that only the Devil's slaves used their left hand. That was when I was about, umm, four, maybe? Definitely before I stated school. I guess you could say that I taught myself to be ambidextrous."

"I guess so…" Saria considered for a moment, "Well, Zelda, you'll have to get back into the habit of using your left hand. You'll need to be able to put it up to defend yourself if something should happen."

"No problem," Zelda seemed rather sure of herself, "I use my left hand at school all the time. It's just at home that I use my right hand."

"Good." Saria nodded, "Now, I have two more questions. Do you have the ancient Princess' diary?" Zelda nodded, "Did you read the little red letter inside it?" Zelda nodded again, "Well, at least you know the basics."

"But," Zelda cut in, "They're at home. I don't have them with me."

"That's alright." Saria got up and walked over to the door, motioning for her to follow, "We're going to see the Great Deku Tree. Come on."

Curious, Zelda followed her. Looking around the village, she noticed many children. And, for the first time, the little balls of light that followed them around.

"What are the little balls of light?" she asked Saria.

"They're—" Saria began, but was cut off by three of the things, seemingly without a child of their own, who just missed her face by an inch.

"Tatl! Tael! Stop it!" a little blue one, strangely familiar, scolded the other two, "You nearly flew into Saria!"

"Navi…" Zelda breathed, as she recognised the little ball of light.

"Yes?" she turned and gasped. She seemed to try to bow to Zelda, "Navi the fairy, at your service, Your Majesty."

"'Your Majesty'?" Zelda was befuddled, "Why are you calling me 'Your Majesty'?"

"You _are_ Princess Zelda, correct?" Navi flew up into her face.

"Navi," Saria spoke sternly to the blue fairy, "She is simply Princess Zelda's reincarnation. She knows nothing of you."

"Then how did she know my name?" Navi demanded haughtily.

"Dreams…" Zelda muttered, "I saw you with Link in my dreams…"

"Link!" the three fairies chorused, all paying rapt attention now.

"Tael, you didn't know him like me and Navi did, so you don't have to be so happy that she knows him!" The little yellow fairy yelled at the little purple fairy.

"I'm allowed to!" Tael yelled back at the other fairy, which Zelda assumed was called Tatl.

"LOOK!" Saria yelled to get their attention, "Let's just go see the great Deku Tree, OK?"

"OK!" all three fairies chorused in unison. They followed Saria and Navi over the stream, and up to a boy clothed in similar clothing to Zelda and Saria.

"Halt!" he put a hand in front of Zelda, blocking her path, "No outsiders allowed! Saria, Navi, Tatl and Tael can go past, but not you!"

"Mido!" Saria put her hands on her hips and pulled a face, "Let her through!"

"No!" he pulled the same face. Zelda got increasingly irritated by the second. She could see how he almost drove Saria insane. Zelda was now aware of the power of the Triforce surging through her, giving her strength.

"Look, you little pipsqueak," Zelda threatened, grabbing the collar of his tunic and holding him up off the ground by it, "let me through, or I'll flog you into next week!"

He didn't understand the words, but he got the gist of the threat. He squeaked, and nodded, showing that he would let her through.

"That's better." Zelda cooed, as she deposited him on the ground again. She followed Saria and the three fairies into the narrow tunnels. As soon as they rounded the corner, Saria and the fairies burst out into laughter.

"Oh…" Saria chuckled, "He deserved that! Serves him right!"

Zelda grinned as she followed them through the tunnels. They emerged into a meadow, with a huge tree in the middle…

* * *

**Well… That's over with… phew! There will be a little bit every now and again from Link's POV. NOTE: I say a LITTLE BIT, not a lot. Maybe a few paragraphs here and there, just to let you know how he's coping without her. The next chapter will skip about 16 hours, so it will start the next day. :p **

**Please R&R? PLEASE?**


	12. Out of the Shadows

**Hey, I'm back! To those of you people who said you didn't like Zelda's family, they will reappear later, but not for a while.**

**

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Out of the Shadows**

Link was walking along the street on his way home from school.

It was strange… Yesterday, Zelda had promised to call him when she got home, but he hadn't heard from her. Nor did she show up at school today. Link was a little worried, and instinct told him to stop in at her place and check up on her.

He dropped his bag with his younger brother, Peter, and made his way to her front door. He knocked twice, before her mother answered it.

"Hello, I'm Zelda's bo—" Link caught himself just in time, "Zelda's friend. I just came to see if she's OK, cause she didn't show up at school today."

"She's not here." Her mother spat, and slammed the door. Link was surprised, to say the least. He knocked again. No one answered. He stood there knocking on the door for a good five minutes or so. No one came to the door.

Giving up, Link sighed and went home.

**MEANWHILE **

Zelda stared out over Hyrule Field. She was thankful that all of the monsters that were said to haunt the fields were all extinct. There wasn't another living creature for miles. Not as far as she could see, anyway.

'_If only Link were here…_' her mind sighed, but she pushed the thought back. She could not afford to get lost in this sub-world.

"Let's go!" Navi, Tatl and Tael flew out from behind her, scaring her.

"You're not coming." She said sternly, and began to walk off.

"The Great Deku Tree said that we were to stop you from getting lost!" Navi flew in front of Zelda's face.

"The Great Deku Tree said I have to accomplish the first leg of the quest alone." She retorted.

"That's what they said about the Hero of Time," Navi protested, following her, "But I still went with him! Let us help you!"

Zelda considered for a few moments. The fairies would know their way around, and she would want company eventually…

"Alright," Zelda sighed, "but no stuffing around! I mean it! Do not annoy me!"

The three fairies cheered to show that they agreed. They all flew and hid in the folds of Zelda's clothing.

Zelda began the hike, and was immediately glad that Saria had procured these bigger garments, seemingly from nowhere. When Zelda had asked where she had gotten them from, Saria simply smiled and replied that 'the forest has it's secrets'.

Zelda was now wearing a proper-sized dress. It looked like a dress that a common woman would wear in colonial times, but it was a pinky colour. She had a ribbon to tie her hair out of her face, and she was wearing pink slip shoes with re-enforced lining. They made walking a lot easier than with the boots on.

The Great Deku Tree had instructed her to make her way to Hyrule Castle. There, she would find something that would identify her as a royal, and there would be many things there that she would need to learn from the library, and training grounds, etcetera, etcetera.

Apparently, the castle was not deserted, like she had initially thought. Yesterday, when she had met the Great Deku Tree, he told her that the Sheikah, the shadow race, had survived the attacks from the east, and were all hiding in the castle somewhere. Her first task was to find them.

Zelda hiked for the better part of a day. It took her at least two hours to catch her breath when she arrived at the market. She headed straight for the fountain in the middle of the plaza, and took a long drink of the cool, flowing water. The archaeologists who would have inhabited this market had their funding cut on Monday, and had left yesterday. She was alone, basically, and had to find the people that were supposedly inhabiting the huge castle in front of her.

Walking through the market, she came up to the Castle Grounds. She had walked up to the gate, and realised something. How was she supposed to open it?

"Navi?" she said tentively, "I could use a little help, please."

The fairy flew out, and surveyed their surroundings.

"You can't open it." Was all she said. Zelda made a snatch for the tiny ball of light out of frustration, but she flew higher. Zelda chased the tiny thing around the corner until it stopped in front of a thick vine.

"Climb this." Navi instructed, as she flew back into Zelda's clothing with Tatl and Tael.

Zelda looked at the vine with uncertainty. Carefully, she placed her foot on a reasonably strong-looking branch, and hoisted herself up. It took a few minutes, but she made it to the top without falling off.

Pulling herself up, she panted and laid down on the cool grass. After about five minutes, she struggled to her feet, and began to walk.

She walked across the top of the gate, pausing right in front of one of the stone soldiers. They all seemed to be running towards a particular spot, spears out. They must have spotted an intruder before they were turned to stone.

Zelda continued moving, and came up to the drawbridge, which was thankfully open. She entered the castle, and surveyed the vaguely familiar surroundings.

Smelling food, she quietly made her way through the castle, sticking to the cover of the shadows for some reason. She followed the smell through the castle's many hallways and corridors, and eventually began to hear noise. As she neared the source, the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and about three hundred men, women, and children came marching out. They all halted when they saw Zelda standing in the middle of the hall like an idiot.

"Who are you?" one man demanded, in a language that was not English, yet one that Zelda could understand, "What are you doing here, outsider? Answer me!"

Zelda spluttered and stared at the spear he was waving around. She was scared, there was no denying it.

"ZELDA!" one of the women exclaimed, coming to embrace her, "Saria told me you would be coming! Let me look at you!"

The older woman held Zelda at arms length, and examined her.

"I'm terribly sorry to be rude," Zelda piped up, "But who are you, and how do you know me?"

"I am Impa." The woman proudly stated, "Queen of the Sheikah, and the immortal Sage of Shadows. Have you really forgotten that much, Princess?"

"You're immortal?" Zelda gasped.

"Yes. I am one of few Sages that received the gift of immortality. Micha! Sharkas!" she barked, "take her to the Royal Chambers, and get her cleaned up! Tonight, we shall feast!" This was met by the approval of everyone in the hall.

Zelda was carried off by two young girls, presumably her own age. They took her down a familiar corridor, and stopped in front of the door that Zelda had opened the last time she was here.

The door to the Princess' chambers.

"It's nothing like the rooms that you have in the outside world," one of the girl said, while the other one fished around for the key, "but we've tried to make it as comfortable as possible."

The other girl finally found the key, and the door swung open. Zelda stared. They certainly _were_ expecting her. They must have been for a while.

The room looked almost exactly the same as she left it, but several of the things were new. The pillows and blankets on the bed, for one.

The girls led her to another room that Zelda didn't notice before. In it, there was a steaming hot bath. They told her to bathe, and that they would be waiting in the main area, readying _suitable_ clothes for 'Her Majesty' to wear.

They left the room, and the fairies came flying out of the clothing that she was already wearing, scaring the life out of Zelda, who had forgotten they were there.

"Come on, Tatl, Tael," Navi immediately took charge, "Let's give her some privacy. We can go and investigate the grounds. See if we can find out just what went on here. Would you like that, Zelda?"

"Yes, please." Zelda agreed, mainly to get rid of them. Upon hearing this, the three fairies flew out a nearby window.

Zelda stripped, and eased herself into the hot water. It was quite relaxing. She submerged herself, then reemerged after a few moments, letting the water wash over her hair, face, and neck.

She washed her hair with a nearby liquid soap. She hadn't washed it in a few days, so she was glad to have this opportunity. Once again, she went underwater, and rid her hair of all the soap suds.

She wiped her eyes, and reached for a bar of soap. She then proceeded to scrub off all of the sweat and dust of the hike. The water was filthy by the time she was done. She didn't know she was so dirty.

She stepped out of the water and circled around, searching for a towel. Finding one on a rack across the room, she wrapped it around herself.

She opened the door a tiny bit, to see if those girls were still out there. One of them caught sight of her, and raced to the door. Before Zelda could close it, she pulled the resisting Zelda out into the open. They had clothes for her, underwear and all, arranged on the bed. Zelda looked at something that looked suspiciously like a corset.

"Do I have to wear that?" Zelda motioned to the corset with her free hand, trying to speak their language. She managed to get it out, but she had a shocker of an accent.

"Why, yes, of course!" the young women looked shocked that she even had to ask, "How else do you think everything will fit you? Everything has such a small waist, and the hips and bust are always much bigger than the waist."

She held up the blue gown, and Zelda saw that it was true. She was definitely _not_ going to fit into _that_ without a corset.

Zelda reached for it, but faltered. She shot a nervous look to the girls who were standing there, watching her every move. They seemed to get the message.

"You put the corset and stockings on," one of them said.

"Yes, and we'll wait outside." The other finished.

"Call us when you have it on, we'll come in and tighten it for you." the first one said again. Zelda nodded, and they exited the room through the main doors. Zelda looked at the undergarments.

"How medieval…" she muttered to herself. Hadn't they heard of just a plain old 'bra and undies'? Apparently not. Either that, or they didn't agree with them.

She struggled into the stockings. She had never put them on before. She was not really one to do the girly things, until a few days ago. She didn't see the point. The stockings were exactly the same colour as her skin.

She eyed the corset again. Holding her breath, she picked it up and squeezed herself into it. Even when it wasn't done up, it was too bloody tight! Making sure it was on the right way, she called out to the attendants. They entered the room, and began to tighten it. It was like torture.

"Suck it in, Princess." One of the girls coached her, while the other one tightened it even more, "That's it… Just one more inch…"

Eventually, after many painful minutes for Zelda, the corset was tightened to the attendants satisfaction.

"I still think it could have gone one more inch…" One of them was saying as they helped Zelda into the tight gown.

Zelda turned to survey herself in the mirror. She was shocked at what she saw. She had always been thin, but the corset made her look more… how to put it… womanly. It accented her figure, and made her look a bit older, too. The dress itself was gorgeous. It looked exactly like the dress that she wore in her dreams, except it was blue, not pink.

Without a word, the girls left the room, and Impa entered. She sat Zelda in front of the mirror, and took a brush to her hair. As she was doing this, she began to speak.

"Zelda, you must prepare. It will take a while before you are ready to see Rauru. I am thankful that you were able to get here so quickly. Had you come at the time the prophecy said you would, there would have been problems… You must stay in hiding for a year, and train, if you have any hope of succeeding."

"A year! To succeed at what?" Zelda demanded, "It's about bloody time I got told _exactly_ what's going on!"

"You mean no one's told you?" Zelda shook her head, "Well, you're right… It's about time you knew. Very well… Almost exactly one thousand, eight hundred and eighty five years ago, the Christians to the east were marching towards Hyrule…"

* * *

**NOTE: there will be switches between times for the next few chapters. You need to pay** **attention to the bold writing, OK?**

**Please R&R!**


	13. An Ancient Betrayal

**Hey all! I promised to tell youwhat happened way back in Ancient Hyrule, and I kept that promise! It will, however, span out over two chapters or so. Also note that it switches between times, so you have to pay attention to the bold writing!

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter Thirteen

An Ancient Betrayal

120AD (the day before Hyrule fell)

"What so you mean, she's gone?" the King barked, glaring down at his daughter's nursemaid.

"She's gone to the ranch," Impa trembled, "she said she wanted to make sure the Hero's widow and son made it out of Hyrule alive. She left last night."

"And you let her do this?" he boomed again, clearly angry.

"Well… I—" Impa spluttered. The King was usually unkind, but if his only child could be in danger, he would turn into some sort of monster.

"I didn't give her a choice. I left in the dead of night." Princess Zelda walked into the Throne Room.

"Zelda!" the King was elated, but also trying to cover up how cruel he had been to the Castle residents since he had found out that she was missing.

"Save it, Father," she said curtly, "I know of how you treated the people in my absence, but that is not why I've returned—"

"You weren't going to return?" the King gasped, horrified.

"No, Father, I wasn't." she was being incredibly rude today, "But my sources tell me that the Christian armies are only a twenty three hour march away from Hyrule. They're much closer than we thought. We have to evacuate the villages and the market! Nothing will stand in their way!"

"Preposterous!" The King laughed, "My lookouts are the best in the world! They could see an army the size of a pea coming, even when they're forty eight hours away!"

"They come over Death Mountain," Zelda persisted, "They will conquer Kakariko Village! It _must_ be evacuated!"

"No." was the Kings answer, "There is no need. I will not waste precious time evacuating Kakariko, when my sources say that the armies clearly march from the south—"

"You're sources are wrong!" Zelda stomped her foot in an undignified manner.

"Well, send word to the Gorons," the King said, to humour his daughter, "Ask that if the armies do come through the Mountain, that they defend their Hylian betters!"

"I will not tolerate such racist comments." Zelda warned, "The only race you have left on your side is the Sheikah, and I wouldn't want you to blow that, either. You've offended Big Brother Darunia, Queen Ruto, and Lady Nabouru too many times. They have sworn that, so long as you are King, they will not defend Hylians. Even if it means their lives."

"So be it! The armies are _not_ marching from the east, Princess, they are coming from the _south_, and that is _final_!" the King was getting angry by now. How _dare_ Zelda, his _own daughter_, speak to him as such?

"Fine. I tried to warn you," Zelda hung her head in sorrow, "It will be on your head. I am afraid that I will have to take matters into my own hands."

"You will do no such thing." It wasn't a statement, it was an order.

"Watch me." It was a threat. Zelda huffed out of the Throne Room. She heard her father dismissing Impa in the distance. She stopped, and waited.

"That was reckless of you, Zelda," the woman scolded her, "but what do you think we should do?"

"Call a council of the Sages," Zelda sighed, sitting on a nearby bench, "in the Lost Woods. They may refuse if I ask them on my father's behalf, but there's no reason they would refuse a fellow Sage, and their friends."

"Very well," Impa nodded seriously, turning to leave, "it will be done. I will come and collect you when the time is right."

"Impa?" Zelda reached out to grab her arm, fear pronounced in her melodic voice, "Make it quick. I'm not sure what I can do, but I do know that we only have less than twenty four hours before they are upon Death Mountain!"

**PRESENT**

"…The fear in her voice was something I shall never forget." Impa went on, "It was the one and only time that she wasn't sure."

Zelda sat in silence, absorbing it all. Impa was staring off into the distance, absent-mindedly brushing Zelda's hair.

"Go on…" Zelda prompted.

Impa came back to herself with a start.

"Well… We held the council three hours later, at sunset…"

**120AD (the night before Hyrule fell)**

"No." Darunia, Ruto and Nabouru stated flatly.

"But, please—" Zelda begged, but was cut off by Darunia.

"The Gorons will have no part in this war!" he exclaimed, "We may look fierce, but we are pacifists, unless we are in dire need to protect ourselves."

"I agree with Darunia," Ruto cut in, "Although my people have been known to be violent in the past, there will be no such behaviour under my rule."

"I'm just still pissed at your father, Zelda." Nabouru admitted, "I have no good reason to refuse your request, other than the simple fact that I have sworn that I will kill your father myself. I cannot aid you, and feel right about it, when I plan to betray you."

"So what?" Zelda demanded hysterically, "I'll hold him down for you! You think he hasn't started hurting me too, lately? He has become greedy, and rude! He refuses to listen to good council! If I could, _I_ would take the knife to his heart!"

The rest of the Sages, except for Impa, were surprised. Zelda had always tried to defend her father. Now she was offering to hold him down while a Gerudo stabbed him? It didn't make sense.

"I agree with Zelda…" Impa put in, "The King needs to be rid of… but I don't think I can take part in this. I have sworn to protect and serve him."

"Correction, Impa," Zelda said, excitedly, "You swore to serve and protect _me_. Not my father. You are above his orders, if I order you as such."

Impa just nodded, asking herself just what Zelda was getting at.

"Very well," Nabouru gave in, "The Gerudo will assist the Hylians, in the name of our Princess."

"Thank you, Nabouru." Zelda smiled.

"There is a condition, however." she prompted. Zelda knew this was coming.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, knowing full well what it was.

"The King dies tonight."

"It's as good as done," Zelda agreed, her heart aching, "but you will have to be the one who delivers the blow. I don't have the heart to kill my father."

**PRESENT**

"She didn't!" Zelda gasped, horrified. How could someone choose to kill their own father? Zelda hated hers, but she would never even _dream_ of killing him.

"She did." Impa stated grimly, "I don't believe she took it lightly. She had been saying a lot about the King, and that he needed to be rid of. She wouldn't have done it if she had felt that it wasn't right. She loved him. Almost as much as she loved—"

"Link?" Zelda guessed. Impa nodded

"They didn't go through with it, did they?" Zelda breathed, afraid to know.

"They did."

**120AD (fifteen hours before Hyrule fell)**

Zelda stared across the room. What had she done? Her father was dead. She had known about the planned assassination, and she had not alerted security. She was a traitor. Guilt haunted her mind, but she did it for the good of her people, her mind told her so. She trusted her own judgement.

She turned, and faced the small crowd gathered in the hall. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"My father is indeed dead." She said strongly, and a collective gasp rang through the hall, "It is most—" she sobbed, then gained control, "it is most unfortunate that this should happen right before he was needed to lead our armies into war. Captain?" she turned to the man kneeled at her feet.

"Yes, my Queen?" he had addressed her as 'Queen'. This startled Zelda to the rude fact. She didn't want to be Queen, but she had to be. In other countries, the new King or Queen had to swear an Oath, in a ceremony called a coronation. In Hyrule, there were no coronations. Once the reigning monarch was dead, their heir immediately took the throne.

"Can I trust you to lead the armies in my father's stead?" she placed her hand on the top of his head.

"Yes, my Queen. I shall lead the armies into battle. In the name of our fallen King. May he rest in peace."

"May he rest in peace." Was echoed throughout the hall by everyone in the crowd.

"May he rest in peace." Zelda echoed, last of all. She dismissed the crowd, and asked for the Royal Doctor to investigate the murder, as all of the men would be needed for the war.

"You held up well," Impa praised her, "you will make a good Queen, Highness."

"You know I hate formalities to come between us, Impa." Zelda turned to her, tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I know, Highness," she bowed, "But you are now my Queen, not my ward. You no longer have need of me."

"You cannot go, Impa!" Zelda realised what she was getting at, "My father has just been killed! You cannot leave me to deal with this alone! I order you to stay!"

"If that is Your Majesty's wish." Impa still kneeled.

"Impa, stand up and look at me." Zelda sobbed, "I can't take this. You are not to call me anything other than my name. Nothing but Zelda! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Zelda," Impa bowed her head.

"Lets go." Zelda said, regaining her composure, "We have much to do."

"Princess! Princess!" a boy came running over to them.

"She is your Queen, little one." Impa corrected him.

"What?" he was taken by surprise, "What happened to the King?"

"He was murdered in cold blood." Zelda muttered, just loudly enough for the young lad to hear.

"Bow before your, Queen, boy!" the Captain rounded the corner at that very moment, "And beg for forgiveness!"

"Captain!" Zelda rounded on him, furious, "He's just a boy! He didn't know! What is it, honey?" she turned back to the little boy.

"The Christian armies are visible on Death Mountain." He said from the floor, "They will reach Kakariko Village in another five hours."

Silence reigned in the corridor, until Zelda spoke up.

"Captain," she said in a shaky voice, "Mobilise the army." She turned to the boy kneeled at her feet, "Young man, I need you to sound the alarms. Today, Hyrule goes to war."

The Captain and the boy both kneeled and said "Yes, my Queen", before they went to carry out Zelda's orders.

"I just hope I'm doing the right thing…" Zelda muttered.

* * *

**OK... The next chapter is aboutthe war, and it alsoexplains what happened to Zelda and how everything was turned to stone. It's already written, but I'm going to leave it for a while...**

**P I'm cruel, huh?**

**Please R&R? PLEASE!**


	14. The Fall Of A Great Country

**People are hungry for blood? There is seriously something wrong here... Over 1400 hits and only 28 reviews! COME ON, PEOPLE! REVIEW, GOD DAMMIT!**

**There won't be much blood in this chapter, sorry. PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOLD FONT! It's sorta like a count-down, if you will.**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER! (I've had a _little_ too much sugar, I think )

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter 14

The Fall Of A Great Country

PRESENT

"…Zelda was afraid, I could sense it." Impa continued, "Even though she tried to hide it."

"I bet she would have been." Zelda muttered.

"Anyway," Impa continued, " the Hylian and Gerudo armies met outside the gates to Hyrule Castle Town. They merged, and began to march towards Kakariko Village…"

**120AD (eleven hours before Hyrule fell)**

Zelda was in a daze. She was riding on horseback with the army. She was one of the country's best healers, so she was required by duty to go to war. She was also the reigning monarch, which meant she might be needed for any conferences or negotiations. Impa rode behind her as her bodyguard, keeping a look out for possible assassins or threats.

They had been marching for barely an hour before they reached the village. It was in chaos.

"People of Kakariko!" the Captain boomed, causing silence to envelop the town, "Your King has been murdered!" there was a cry of outrage, "However! There are more pressing matters at hand! I present to you, your new Queen! Majesty, if you please?"

He stepped down. Zelda stepped up to where he just stood, and cleared her throat.

"The Christian armies will be arriving here soon!" there was a frenzy of panic amongst the people, but Zelda sent out a spell of soothing to calm them, "They will be arriving in an hour! You must round up your families and whatever provisions you can! In half an hour, we will be evacuating the entire town by carts, which are waiting at the foot of the stairs to the village! I must ask you to do this in a calm and orderly manner! Now, go!"

People raced for their houses. Women searched for their children. Men searched for their wives. Children were crying. It all broke Zelda's heart. She could not bear to stand up here any longer. She and some of the soldiers left the village, leaving some of the men and women behind to organize the evacuation.

Walking down the stairs seemed surreal to Zelda. Upon coming out into the open, she saw many tents that had been erected a little off into the distance. The soldiers that had remained behind had done their job, and were now either resting before the battle, or writing letters and journals. Zelda thought a letter would be a good idea.

Borrowing a piece of parchment, a bottle of scarlet ink and a quill, Zelda sat down and wrote. She didn't write a letter, however. She wrote a confession.

"What's the matter, Zelda?" Impa sat down next to her.

"It's her fifth birthday today, Impa." Zelda sobbed.

"Ah…" Impa seemed sympathetic, "It will be good luck for you, then, eh? Her birthdays are always good days for the Kingdom. Now, come. It will do no good to think of such things, Zelda… It's not helping anyone any."

**PRESENT**

"How sad…" Zelda muttered.

"Yes, but she was always happy on her daughter's birthdays." Impa sighed, "Every year, on the child's birthday, the Kingdom was always free of crime. If there was a war, which was almost every year because of the King, they always beat the invaders back."

"So what made that day so special?" Zelda inquired.

"I don't know…" Impa muttered, "But, it was too much for her for a while. I just sat there and held her while she wept. She cried for the whole half hour. But when the villagers evacuated, and the armies came, you wouldn't have been able to tell…"

**120AD (ten hours before Hyrule fell)**

"I am Derek!" the commander of the Christian Army bellowed from the top of the village stairs, "Commander of this army! I demand audience with your King!"

Zelda rode forward. There was some muttering amongst both armies. Hylians and Gerudos alike were all worried about her safety. The Christians were muttering about sending a woman to do a mans job.

"I am Zelda, newly crowned Queen of Hyrule!" Zelda shouted in response to Derek, "You will have your audience with me!"

"I will have audience with none other than the King!" he proclaimed, "A woman's place is in the home, even a Queen! Pray tell, woman, where is your husband?"

"My husband is dead!" Zelda spoke truthfully, digging up old, painful memories, "Murdered by your people three years ago, as was my father last night!" She was bluffing, but it would drive the Hylians to want victory even more. Yodde _was_ having troubles with these people back then, so it could have been them, as far as anyone knew.

"We never sent out any assassins out!" he shouted back, fuming.

"_Lies_!" Zelda screeched. She wasn't about to confess to both murders. Her people would likely turn on her, then.

"Very well…" Derek was sick of talking, "You give us no choice! _Charge_!"

The Christians charged down the stairs. Zelda's horse reared, and she steered it out of the battle lines.

"_Charge_!" The Hylian Captain ordered, as soon as Zelda was out of harms way.

The armies met on even ground. The clashing of swords and shields, the cries of men and women in pain, and the thuds as men and women, Christian, Hylian, and Gerudo alike, were wounded or killed, was all Zelda heard for the next two hours. Eventually, the Hylians and Gerudos, though depleted in numbers significantly, drove the opposing army back. The Hylians and Gerudos had claimed Kakariko Village back from the invaders. Zelda could see the blood of the fallen trickling down the satirs.

"Oh, Goddesses no!" Zelda muttered, as she caught sight of the enemy's reinforcements coming over the mountain. There were at least three times as many soldiers in their reinforcements alone, compared to the original size of the Hylian army. They were sitting ducks there! The exit-way was too narrow. They would be slaughtered!

"Get them out of there!" Impa roared, but it was too late. The Christian reinforcements had already reached the village at full speed.

**PRESENT **

Zelda stifled a gasp. She could only imagine what it must have been like, to know that you and your people were going to die.

"Zelda knew that it was hopeless at that point," Impa continued on with the story, "so she decided to take desperate measures…"

**120AD (five hours before Hyrule fell)**

"Impa!" Zelda cried out, a desperate edge in her voice, "Come here! There is something I need you to do for me!"

"What is it?" Impa reached her, breathless from the battle, "If it is within my power, I shall do it."

"Take these." Zelda handed her an envelope and a golden piece of what was once a sacred pyramid, "Place these objects in my bedchamber. The envelope goes inside my diary. Just put the Triforce on my bed. Leave it, and lock the doors. Do not go in there after you lock it! Put the key in a safe place, and do not bring it out until the true heir to the Throne returns to Hyrule! Only He can open the door!"

"B-but," Impa stuttered for the first time in her life, "What about you? What are you going to do!"

"Don't worry about me!" Zelda screeched, pushing her towards the castle, "Just go!"

Impa turned her back on her Queen, and made her way to Hyrule Castle to do her bidding.

**PRESENT**

"It was the last time I saw her alive…" Impa seemed to be choking up.

"I'm sorry…" Zelda muttered, turning to face the Sage, "That must have been hard for you to take."

Impa stared out the window, and concluded the story.

"The rest, I heard form an old friend of mine who was watching the entire thing in the village…"

**120AD (five minutes before Hyrule fell)**

Zelda entered the battleground, using the cover of the shadows to reach her destination. She climbed to the highest point left standing in the village, and placed her hands together, as if in prayer.

"Goddesses!" Zelda cried, "I offer myself as a sacrifice for the survival of my people! Take my life, and spare theirs!"

There was a bright flash of light, and in an instant, every Hylian, Gerudo and Christian in the land were frozen as if made of stone. Zelda herself fell from the rooftop, and landed on the ground.

She was dead.

**PRESENT**

"The Sheikah, Gorons, Zora and Kokiri were spared by the Gods," Impa explained, "Because they were not overly involved in the war. I was spared simply because I am a Sage. Afterwards, the Sages had another counsel. We were to decide Hyrule's fate. In the end, we decided to hide Hyrule from the rest of the world, until it was time for the Heir to revive it. So, we cast a spell to cloak Hyrule, until it was time for you, Princess Zelda, to revive it."

"You must have made a mistake!" Zelda turned around and grabbed Impa's wrist in desperation, "I can't do this! Can't you ask someone else to do it!"

"I'm afraid not, child…" Impa gently placed her hand over Zelda's in a comforting manner, "All I can do for you is make sure that you are ready. And that you don't suffer the same fate as the Ancient Queen…"

A pained expression came across Impa's face.

'_She must really miss her…_' Zelda's mind whispered, '_and you coming has only poured salt into those wounds… The best thing you can do for her is to do as she asks, and try to learn quickly…_'

Zelda smiled gently at the woman, and removed her hand from her arm. Turning around, she took the older woman's calloused hands delicately in her own.

"I will do it." She said calmly, "Just teach me what I need to know."

* * *

**WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW! THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE QUICKER I UPDATE, IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!**


	15. What are Darunia and Nabouru Doing?

**Hey, people! BACK AGAIN! I just want to take a few lines to remind you to review:**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Oh, god… Now I have a headache…… sigh**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**What Are Darunia and Nabouru Doing?**

Zelda allowed herself to be steered through many halls and corridors by Impa. She was going over what Impa had just told her in her mind. It was a lot to digest.

Zelda remembered sitting on her bed the other day, wishing that she could understand her mathematics homework. It was hard to believe that it was only seven days ago! It seemed so trivial compared to what she had to do now.

She forced herself to listen to what Impa was saying. It was something to do with the etiquette that she would need tonight at the feast.

"Everyone will be watching you," Impa warned, "at first, at least. There will be muttering about what foods you chose. No one can sit until you do, no one can pick up their forks until you have, and no one can take a bite until you do."

"Why?" Zelda inquired. This was idiocy. Sheer idiocy. What if she didn't eat? She didn't feel very hungry, anyway. Stupid corset.

"Respect, and Loyalty." Impa told her, "You are their leader, whether you call the shots or not. People will not go where you have forbidden them to go. It's like you picking up the fork and taking a bite is saying 'alright, you can eat now'."

"Oh…" Zelda tried to make sense of it, but couldn't seem to get a grip on it. When she entered the dining hall, however, the royal blood in her seemed to take over.

She greeted the people accordingly, and the entire night went smoothly. She had no problems, as if she had been doing this her entire life. She even forgot how difficult her breathing was made because of the corset. Stupid corset.

**AFTER THE FEAST**

Zelda sat on the bed, _her_ bed, as Impa raided the room.

"I know it's in here somewhere!" Impa was muttering.

"What are you looking for?" Zelda asked, moving so she could see the whirlwind of frustration that was Impa.

"A small chest," Impa mumbled, "It has six locks in the shapes of a sun, a leaf, a flame, a drop of water, a halo, and a mask. It contains something very valuable."

Zelda felt the stomach drop out from beneath her.

"Ummm… Impa?" Zelda faltered as Impa looked at her, "I— you wont find it…"

"Why not?" Impa demanded, going back to her search.

"Because it's not here." Zelda looked her in the eyes, "It's in my parents house. I took it when I visited the castle the first time."

"What!" Impa roared, enraged, "What else did you take!"

Zelda cowered under Impa's wrath. So much so that she couldn't speak. Impa saw this, and calmed herself down.

"Very well," She sighed, "We will take a trip to the outside world tomorrow. I will take you to the house, and you get out _everything_ that you took from Hyrule, do you understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Zelda squeaked, petrified. Whether it was of Impa, or her parents, Zelda didn't know.

"You look uncomfortable," Impa observed out of the blue, "come here and let me loosen that corset."

Zelda stood up and removed her gown, with Impa's help. Zelda didn't worry about it this time. Impa wasn't going to see her in the nude, which was what she was worried about when she was with Micha and Sharkas.

"They did it really tight…" Impa muttered, fumbling with the knots, "Perhaps I'd better do it next time, hmm?"

"I'd prefer that it wasn't done at all." Zelda muttered dryly. Impa laughed.

"There you go!" the corset sprang out, and Zelda relaxed. She didn't feel that it was tight, anymore. It felt a bit loose, to tell the truth.

"Thank you." Zelda turned her back on Impa, seeking privacy. Impa seemed to take the hint.

"The bedclothes are in the wardrobe, on the right hand side." She walked out of the room, and closed the door.

Zelda walked over to the other side of the room and into the spacious wardrobe. She turned to her right, and chose a soft pink nightgown. Removing the restrictive undergarments, she slid the nightgown over her head.

Zelda walked back across the room and laid down on the soft bed, pulling the blankets over her body. She immediately fell asleep.

**LINK'S HOUSE**

Link was silent at dinner, which was not unnoticed by his brothers and sisters. Or his parents, for that matter. The guests just assumed that it was normal. He was listening to his parents argue over him, _again_.

"Anyway…" Darunia was saying, "I believe that it would do Link some good. He'd meet a bunch of kids his own age, who show just as much talent in swordplay as he does."

"I don't like Link playing with swords…" his mother muttered, "I'm afraid he'll get hurt."

"Come on, dear," Link came to reality to listen to his parents debate, "They _would_ have supervision, after all. I'm sure it's perfectly safe."

Link sat back, smiling. His mother would cave. She always did. Link had always wanted to do something like this, and it was luck that this man Darunia, whoever he was, had heard that Link was good with swords. The only problem, though, was that he still hadn't heard from Zelda.

"Oh," his mother caved, finally, "Alright! But don't blame me if he gets hurt!"

Link smirked.

"I'll be alright, Mum." He reassured her, sending her a smile, which she returned.

"I know, son…" She trailed off, then came back to herself abruptly, "Oh, whatever! How much does it cost?" she looked over at Darunia.

"Nothing," He smirked, "It's a boarding school, so his education wont be neglected, either. The only hitch is that the place opens up after the summer holidays, in six months. There is another kid from around here going, too, so he wont be alone."

"Who?" Link perked up.

"A girl." Darunia looked over at the teenage boy, "About your age. My associate has gone to speak with her family now."

Link nodded.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Zelda stood in the stables, breathing in the musty scent.

"Are you ready to go?" Impa looked over at her, eyebrows raised.

"As I'll ever be…" Zelda eyed the white horse nervously. Impa mounted the animal in question, and beckoned for Zelda to do the same.

'_Lucky I used to take horse riding lessons…_' Zelda thought dryly as she hoisted herself up in front of Impa.

Impa directed the horse out of the market slowly, but took off full speed towards the forest once they were in the clear. The bandanna Zelda was wearing around her neck fluttered into her face, and she pushed it out of the way.

"We'll only be on horse until we get to the forest," she heard Impa above the roaring in her ears, "When we get there, we'll be on foot for a few hours, then we meet an old associate of mine on the outside."

Zelda nodded to show that she understood. She wouldn't be able to make herself heard over the wind, anyway.

Zelda couldn't believe that she had walked this far in a matter of hours, but it took less than an hour by horse. By the time the rather uneventful ride was over, Zelda was aching all over.

"What about the horse?" Zelda asked, following Impa into the maze.

"He'll be waiting for us when we return." Impa looked over her shoulder at the girl, "For now, though, I want to speak to Saria."

Zelda nodded. She wanted to stretch her legs, so she didn't object.

Navi, Tatl and Tael had followed Zelda and Impa out of the castle that morning, but Zelda couldn't see them. Perhaps they hadn't been able to keep up and had gone back to the castle? All the same, Zelda called out to them. All three fairies came flying out of her dress pockets, scaring the life out of her.

Zelda, Impa and the three fairies entered the Lost Woods.

**ignoring headache, but effectively making it worse**

**WELL, THAT'S MY BIT! THANKS A BUNCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED! I HOPE THE REST OF YOU WILL START REVIEWING, TOO!**


	16. Tell Me

**Hey, I'm back! I'm about halfway through the next chapter, but I've hit a bit of writer's block I think... Oh well... I'll figure something out. Probably after I post this. That's what I'm typically like.;p**

**Yup, Chapter 17 will be out very soon! **

**To Find The Past, Find The Past**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Tell Me**

"Very well…" Zelda heard Impa mutter, "No, no! Yes… I understand… But what if… I think she can… Well, I'm not… Yes… I know… Yes… Thank you for your advice… Must be off… Goodbye."

Zelda moved as Impa exited the tiny house. She had a million questions dancing at the tip of her tongue, but knew better then to ask them. She inched her way away from Impa, so it would look like she came from an other angle.

"Zelda!" Impa called out, looking around. Zelda judged that she was at a safe enough distance to be seen.

"Yes, Impa?" she came up behind her, "Is it time to go?" Impa nodded. Zelda put two of her fingers in her mouth, and whistled. The fairies came rushing back from wherever it was that they had gone.

"Impressive." Impa stated, "But ladies should never whistle."

"Well then," Zelda joked, "It's lucky that I'm not a lady yet. I'm just a teenager." This earned disapproving look from Impa, "I'm sorry." Zelda put in quickly. Impa laughed. Zelda thought it would be wise to keep her big mouth shut.

Impa motioned for Zelda to follow her. She led Zelda up a few ledges, and back into the area where she was found. Not stopping, she followed Impa through the complicated maze that Impa seemed to know the route for. It took about three hours, but they emerged on the other side of the woods, eventually.

"Darunia!" Impa shouted, scaring Zelda, "It's been too long!"

"Yes, it has." Darunia reminded Zelda of someone she had seen around the suburb before, "And would this be our lovely Princess?" He inquired, looking over at Zelda, who stood there and meekly nodded in reply.

"Don't scare her, Darunia." Impa scolded him, but she had a smile on her face, "Now, can you take us there, or not?"

"Yes, I can." He pointed to a car a little further back, "Hop in."

**TWO HOURS LATER**

Zelda had to laugh at Impa. The entire time she was in the car she had her eyes screwed shut, afraid to look out the window.

"Come on, Impa!" Zelda giggled, "As long as you have your seatbelt on, there's nothing you have to worry about. But I'm not too sure about Darunia's driving, though…" She teased. Darunia gave a hearty laugh, and gave her the thumbs up.

"Don't worry, kid." He chuckled, "I got it all under control."

Impa heaved a sigh as they pulled up on the corner of her street. Getting out of the car, she got tangled in the seat belt, and pulled back in. Zelda had to try _really_ hard not to burst out laughing. Impa was muttering darkly that she was dreading the return ride tomorrow.

Zelda walked casually over to the house. To her dismay, her parents were still home. She turned to Impa.

"Do you think we could go somewhere until dark?" she begged, "I don't want my parents to see me." Impa nodded, believing that it was the best option. She didn't want Mr. and Mrs. Hilyan to see her, either. Mr. Hilyan had almost discovered the Sheikah during his visits to the castle, but he had never actually _seen_ them.

"Come on." Zelda dragged her down the street.

They walked around for several minutes, taking in every little detail. Some people stared at them, for their unusual clothing, but neither of them batted an eyelid. Eventually, their roaming led them to the park.

Zelda went over and sat on one of the swings. Impa muttered something about going exploring, and to wait here until she came back.

Roughly half an hour passed before Zelda was approached by a little girl. She looked, to Zelda, to be around five or six.

"Hewwo, Miss." She sounded scared, the poor little thing.

"Hello," Zelda said kindly to the little girl, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm wooking for my big bwuver." The girl said, unashamed. Oh, how Zelda wished that she was that young, and that was her biggest problem. But _no_. _She_ had to revive a lost kingdom.

"Do you want me to help you look for him?" Zelda asked, itching for a reason to get out of the swing.

"Yes, pwease?" the girl said timidly, taking Zelda's had.

"What's your name?" Zelda asked the tiny thing.

"Aryll."

"Aryll? That's a very pretty name." She tried to make the child feel at ease in her presence, "Now, what does you brother look like?"

"He has yewwow hair, blue eyes, and is vewy tall. He's even tawwer than you!" the girl looked up at Zelda.

'_Right,_' Zelda thought skeptically, '_A tall blue-eyed blonde. Yep, with that description, we'll find him in ten seconds flat._'

Zelda didn't know how right she was.

"Aryll! Aryll, where are you!" Zelda heard a voice calling in earnest. It was familiar. Too familiar.

"Aryll," Zelda crouched next to the girl, "Is that him calling you?" the small girl nodded, and began to pull Zelda over to the voice.

"Come wif me." She said excitedly, "He'll like you."

"Oh, no." Zelda said kindly, "My Grandma will be waiting for me back at the swings soon. I can't go anywhere."

"Just for a minute?" Zelda shook her head, and Aryll began to cry.

"Alright, alright." Zelda said hurriedly, not wanting the little girl to start bawling "But just for a minute!"

Aryll happily dragged Zelda over to the voice. She immediately let go of Zelda's hand when her brother came into view. If it were not for the fact that she was frozen out of shock, she would have already left to go back to the swings.

"Aryll, where have you been?" Link demanded, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"I got lost. I'm sowwy." She apologized, giving him the puppy-dog eyes, "This girl helped me find you again!" She said happily, pointing to Zelda.

Link's eyes looked in the direction that his little sister was pointing, and saw Zelda standing there, frozen out of shock. He stood there for a while, mouth hanging open in disbelief. He just snapped out of it all of a sudden, and began walking slowly towards her, as if she were some frightened animal that might flee at any moment. Aryll had gone to play in the sandpit.

"Zelda?" He whispered in shock, not daring to believe it could be true.

"Link?" She squeaked, also in shock. He stepped forward. Zelda snapped out of her trance-like state, and took off in the other direction like a speeding bullet.

"_Wait_!" he cried, chasing after her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Let go of me!" She turned around angrily.

"Where have you been?" his eyes searched hers, as if he was trying to read her mind. She shook her head.

"I can't tell you…" She tried to pull away, but he had an iron grip, "I'm sorry. Now let. Me. _Go_!" She tried one more time to pull her arm out of his grip, but failed. The only thing she did was inflict pain as she strained herself.

"Zelda…" He whispered, stepping closer, never letting go of her arm, "I've been worried sick about you. You've been gone for two days! You wont return my calls! You parents refuse to tell me where you are! Now, tell me. _Where have you been_?"

Zelda was saved from answering by Impa. She had chosen that moment to return from her little exploration.

"Impa!" Zelda cried, getting her attention. Link saw the woman's intimidating appearance, and let her arm go immediately.

"There you are…" Impa trailed off, catching sight of Link, "Who are you, boy?" She demanded. Link gave a look of confusion. He could not understand Impa's strange language. Or so they thought.

"My name is Link…" he said in the language that Impa used, "Who are you?"

"I believe he is the Hero of Time reborn." Zelda whispered into Impa's ear.

"How can you be sure?" Impa whispered back.

"I don't know how." Zelda whispered hurriedly, "I just have a feeling that he's the one."

Zelda could tell that Impa was skeptical. Zelda sighed. Impa would take some convincing, but she knew she was right. She _had_ to be! How else would Link understand Hyrulian?

**It's absurdly short, I am ashamed of myself. It's also really rushed, but nothing of significance happened, so it doesn't really matter, right?**

**If you wanted me to go on and on and on about every little twist and turn in the forest, or about every rock in the field, you'd have gotten really bored and disappointed.**

**R&R PLEASE!**


	17. Three More

**Well, did I not say I would get over it as soon as I last posted? Yes, I did.And did I get over it? Yes I did! Are we all happy? I am!**

**But, seriouslyfor a sec. Thank you to all the people whotook their precious time to sit down and write areview. That's more than I can say for all you lazy people who just read it and leave! Come on! Review!**

**I AM STILL DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO USE GANONDORF IN MY STORY! THISIS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY!I AM HOLDING A READER'S POLL TO LET YOU VOTE! SHOULD GANONDORF MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THIS STORY? ARE THERE ANY VILLAINS THAT YOU LIKE? AS LONG AS THEY ARE FROM LOZ, I MIGHT CONSIDER PUTTING THEM IN! VOTE IN YOUR REVIEWS! IT WILL RUN FOR EXACTLY ONE WEEK FROM THE FOURTEENTH OF JULY!

* * *

**

To find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter Seventeen

Three More

"We have to be quiet!" Zelda hissed at Impa, who had just slipped in a puddle of water.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm losing my touch." Impa hissed back.

Zelda rolled her eyes, and made her way around the back of the house. It was the dead of night, and they were sneaking around to the back of Zelda's parent's house, in a effort to get to the room where Zelda's belongings were kept.

When they got to the window, Zelda peeked inside. She was relieved to find that nothing had been moved. In fact, it didn't look like anyone was in there at all. The knob was removed from the door, however, and was replaced by a piece of wood, blocking passage to the rest of the house.

Zelda quietly lifted the screen on the window, and climbed in. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a light flicker on in the hallway, and a shadow, as someone stood next to the door. It appeared as if they had their ear pressed to the door, listening for intruders.

"Wh—" Impa stared, but Zelda's clamped a hand to the woman's mouth, effectively silencing her. As soon as the light disappeared and the footsteps retreated to the direction of her parent's bedroom, Zelda removed her hand. Turning around, Zelda shushed her, and motioned for her to wait behind.

Zelda felt around blindly. She knew she had left it out… Ah hah! She found it!

Zelda flicked the torch on, and began to raid her own bedroom. The first thing she retrieved was the backpack from under her bed. She then, torch in hand, began sifting through the drawers, until she found what she was looking for.

In complete silence, she placed the glittering jewels an jewelry in the bag, and proceeded to the box that was at the foot of her bed. She roughly stuffed the giant tomes in the bag but, again, the bag gained no weight. The next thing to go in were the statues, wrapped in Zelda's jacket. The diary was stuffed in as well. The last thing to go into the bag was the thing they had come for.

The hardwood box with six keyholes was placed in the bag carefully. Zelda took one more wistful look around the room, and noticed her own jewelry box sitting in her chest of drawers. She carefully made her way over to the tiny box, and opened it.

She gazed longinglyat the jewelry and closed the lid silently. She placed the boxsilently in the bag, and fastened the zipper.

She handed Impa the bag, and climbed out herself. Zelda made more noise than she would have liked as she replaced the screen over the window.

Lights flickered on in the house, and Zelda's father stuck his head out of his bedroom window. Zelda and Impa tried to sneak away, but it was no use. He had seen them.

"Stop!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Thief!"

"_Run_!" Zelda yelled, breaking out into a sprint, Impa close behind. They emerged onto the street, and ran for their lives. They neighbours heard their yells, and came out into the street, looking for the noises that had disturbed their rest. A few of the men decided to join Zelda's father in the chase.

Impa managed to escape their grasp, but Zelda didn't. One of the men from down the road grabbed her hair, and pulled her down to the ground, _hard_.

"_Impa_!" Zelda cried out of desperation, trying to fight the giant man.

Impa turned, and saw Zelda struggling with the man not ten feet away. She quickly devised a plan, and set it into motion.

"Hey, ugly!" She yelled, "Yeah, you!" the bulky guy looked up, to see Impa threatening him in a strange language. She threw down a smoke bomb, engulfing everything within a fifteen foot radius.

Zelda felt something drop heavily to the ground behind her. The next thing she knew, she was being carried out of the area, and felt a lightheaded sensation as whoever was carrying her jumped to an alarming height.

Zelda, upon opening her eyes, saw that it was Impa who was carrying her. Even more alarming, though, was the fact that they were on the roof of one of the houses.

"What…?" Zelda stammered, "How…?"

"Never mind." Impa said sternly, "The important thing is to get to Darunia's residence."

Impa carried Zelda as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Zelda was alarmed at the strength that she possessed. She made a mental note never to get on her bad side.

Impa couldjump off the edge of one house, and land right in the middle of the next one. It was certainly faster than walking.

Zelda lost track of how many houses they landed on, and felt relieved when her feet felt solid ground again. Impa rushed her up the stairs, and banged urgently on the door. A woman with bright red hair and tanned skin looked through the windows. Her face disappeared for a moment, before the door opened.

Impa shoved Zelda inside, and the door was snapped shut. Zelda let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding.

"We… Got… It…" Impa panted, handing the strange woman the bag. The woman slung her arm around Impa, and motioned for Zelda to follow.

Zelda followed the woman into the kitchen. Darunia was there, no big surprise. The other person she saw there shocked her to no end.

"Ruto!" she squeaked, "What are _you_ doing here!"

"Well, waiting for you, obviously." Ruto stated dryly. Zelda shot her a look of confusion.

"Since when do you have anything to do with me?" Zelda demanded, looking at the girl.

"Since before you were born." Zelda almost fell over with shock. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She remembered reading something about a person named Ruto in one of the books of Hylian Lore…

It was like a switch clicked on in her head. She had met the Forest and Shadow Sages… But, no. It wasn't possible… Was it?

"You mean to tell me that you, the person who has made my life miserable for the last ten years, are one of the Sa—"

"Yup!" Ruto was chipper, "I'm the Sage of Water. I am hear to help you in your quest, Your Majesty—"

"Wait…" Zelda cut her off, "I thought the Sages were immortal?"

"No, not all of us." Impa answered her from her seat at the table, "Only three Sages were given the gift of immortality. Water, Fire and Spirit were all reincarnated to keep Hyrule cloaked. They did a pretty good job of it, too. The rest of us, Light, Forest, and Shadow, were given immortality, to keep Hyrule safe from any inside evil. _That_ was difficult."

"All right…" Zelda thought for a moment, "So I've met Shadow, Forest, and Water. Who are the other three?"

"Well," Impa motioned behind Zelda, "Nabouru is Spirit, and Darunia is Fire. Light is still hidden in the Evil Realm."

"But…" Zelda frowned, strangely not surprised by these revelations,"Why would the Light Sage be in a place of darkness?"

"Never mind." Nabouru put a hand on Zelda's shoulder, "It's something you hopefully wont have to deal with."

"But—" Zelda was silenced by Nabouru.

"So, Impa," she attempted to change the topic, "How'd it go? Without any hitches, I assume?"

"Oh, hitches aplenty," Impa looked over at Zelda, laughter dancing in her eyes, "First, her parents are home, so we go exploring until dark. Second, I left her for half an hour, because she seemed safe enough, and she gets recognised by one of the local boys—"

"Hey!" Zelda called the injustice, "That wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, we know." Darunia patted her shoulder.

"_Anyway_," Impa gave them a look that silenced them, "When we got away from him, which wasn't easy mind you, we got back to the house. Me, not paying attention, slipped in a puddle of water. Zelda got in the house OK, but when she got out, she made too much noise. The man of the house saw us, so we ran for it. The entire neighbourhood chased us! Zelda got caught, so I had to waste valuable time and weapons rescuing her." Impa looked at Zelda, "I hope you wont be needing my help like that again any time soon?" Zelda shook her head in a hurry.

"Well…" Darunia spoke up, nervously, "You'll have to keep her safe for another year and a half… We've hit a hitch of our own."

"_What_?" Impa stood up so fast. It was like watching lightening.

"The venue we need wont be available for another six months, so that's when we booked it for. Sorry, but that's the way it's gonna have to be." Nabouru stood up, just as tall and every bit as fierce. Impa groaned and sat back in her seat.

"Very well…" She cupped her face in her hands, then looked up. She was just about to say something before Zelda burst out.

"What?" She practically screamed, "Another year and a half! I'll be eighteen by then!"

"When's your seventeenth birthday?" Nabouru asked.

"The thirteenth of October." Zelda looked at her, asking questions with her eyes.

"Just curious."

**

* * *

Well, I'm currently just finishing up chapter 18! It's a bit longer than this... I think.**

I will say it again, for the people who skipped reading the notes at the top of the page;

I AM STILL DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO USE GANONDORF IN MY STORY! THISIS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY!I AM HOLDING A READER'S POLL TO LET YOU VOTE! SHOULD GANONDORF MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THIS STORY? ARE THERE ANY VILLAINS THAT YOU LIKE? AS LONG AS THEY ARE FROM LOZ, I MIGHT CONSIDER PUTTING THEM IN! VOTE IN YOUR REVIEWS! IT WILL RUN FOR EXACTLY ONE WEEK FROM THE FOURTEENTH OF JULY!

Thanks! R&R, lazy bums! giggles


	18. Return To The Forest

**Hey... This is the REAL chapter 18! Those of you who reviewed the notes, you will have to review this anonomously! I hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Return To The Forest**

By the time Zelda woke up, it was almost time to leave. Standing up, she stretched and popped many joints in the process. Zelda winced every time she felt the tell-tale pop. She thought it quite disgusting, really. Walking out into the kitchen, Nabouru greeted her.

"Morning, Princess. Help yourself to some cereal or toast." She half-joked.

"Morning, Na-Nab-" Zelda yawned, "Nabouru."

"As soon a Impa wakes up and eats, you two will be going." Nabouru sat across from Zelda at the counter.

"You aren't coming?" Zelda asked groggily, getting herself a bowl from the stack of clean dishes next to the sink. She grabbed a box of Coco-Pops and a bottle of milk, and set about getting breakfast.

"Nope." Nabouru nursed a cup of tea, "Darunia, Ruto and I are still needed to find the Hero."

"I've already found him." Nabouru shook her head.

"You _might_ have found one of the potentials, but I seriously doubt that you've found _him_." Zelda looked up at the woman.

"Potential?" Zelda was confused. Surely there was only _one_ person who could be the hero?

"Hasn't Impa told you?" Zelda shook her head, "Well, the Hero doesn't necessarily have to be his soul reborn. He has to possess the kind of courage that would draw the Triforce of Courage to him. And he has to be able to wield the Master Sword, as well. That means he has to have a pure mind and heart, incapable of any evil. Of course, it would help if he had the Hero of Time's soul, but it is not necessary."

Zelda sat, absorbing it all, as Impa came out and got herself some breakfast. She was obviously _not_ a morning person.

"I still think he's the one." She whispered to Nabouru.

**LATER**

Zelda and Impa trudged through the thick, soggy undergrowth of the Lost Woods. It had rained overnight, and it was quite difficult to walk in the mud.

Since Zelda had that conversation with Nabouru this morning, she had a lot of questions running through her mind. She was so sure that he was the Hero… How could he not be? He even looked like him! But… She might have been wrong… But that was near impossible, wasn't it? She had the Triforce of Wisdom, for crying out loud! But then again… being wise and being right were two totally different things…

"What's wrong with you, Zelda?" Navi piped up from her jacket, having being hiding there for the last two days with Tatl and Tael, "You seem so quiet."

"Hm?" Zelda was roused from her thoughts, "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking…"

"Zelda!" Impa called her from a bit further up, "Hurry! We're almost at Kokiri Forest! Don't lag behind. I wont come back for you!"

Zelda smiled. She knew full well that Impa wouldn't come back. Not for a little while, anyway. She would come back for her in the end, though. Nonetheless, Zelda sped up through the squelching mud, not wanting to be left behind.

Zelda and Impa emerged into the small village, and gasped. The place looked like a wrecking crew had come and demolished it. There wasn't a single living being in sight. The three fairies flew out into the remains of what had once been their home, searching for survivors.

"No…" Impa muttered, "_No_! It's too early! This cannot happen now!"

"I'm afraid you are correct, Impa." Zelda jumped and turned around. She heaved a sigh of relief. Saria had emerged from the trees behind them and sat on a rock, watching Zelda, a strange look in her eyes. She was alright, save for a few shallow bleeding cuts on her face and arms. But, other than that, completely fine.

"Where is everyone?" Impa demanded, turning to face Saria. Was it Zelda's imagination, or did Saria sound… strange? She definitely had a deeper voice than before. Impa, though, appeared not to notice.

"I don't know." Saria stood and faced Impa, "They all took off when Dark Link and his mob got here."

"Dark Link?" Zelda questioned. She should have known this. Somehow. There was something terribly, terribly wrong. She just couldn't quite place it.

'_The shadow of the Hero of Time_.' Her mind whispered as Impa turned around to face the village again, '_The one who swore to defeat him and wreak havoc on all of Hyrule, if Ganon did not succeed in killing him._'

It all flew together in Zelda's mind. But it was a moment too late. Saria was not Saria. Zelda was not sure who the small child in front of her was, but it sure as hell wasn't Saria. She tried to warn Impa, but there appeared to be a spell on Zelda. She couldn't speak!

Whoever it was, Zelda had to fight them. Zelda didn't know how, though. She was just hatching a plan in her mind, when she felt someone grab her from behind. She panicked, and dug her elbow into the attacker's abdomen. What she heard was not a cry of pain, or even a gasp. Her attacker laughed.

"You think that would be enough to make me let you go, wench?" the voice chuckled in her ear. Zelda gasped in surprise and disgust. It sounded almost exactly like Link!

Alarmed, Zelda tried to defend herself. To warn Impa. To do _anything_! Impa, however, was clipped over the head by the villain that had disguised themselves as the trusted Forest Sage. She fell into unconsciousness the second she was hit.

Zelda didn't know exactly what happened next. All she knew was that she also suffered the same fate.

**MEANWHILE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD**

Link felt as if he had taken a blow to the gut. He had just been sitting in the lounge-room, waiting for Richard to get ready for school, when the pain struck. He did not show any obvious signs, but he did clench his fists. It was a pretty strong blow, though.

"Dude!" Richard stared at him, open-mouthed, "What happened to your shadow? It's, like, _gone_!"

"What are you talking about, Dick?" Link laughed, causing pain in his already aching stomach. His older brother just gaped like a fish and pointed. Rolling his eyes, Link looked to where his shadow should have been.

"What the fuck!" Link burst out, jumping up. He mentally slapped himself. His three little sisters, Aryll, Sophie and Geneva, had walked into the room as soon as he had cursed. He was just glad that his parents were out. He would've gotten a slap across the face for that from his mother.

**OUTSIDE LINK'S HOUSE**

Nabouru watched the scene unfold in front of her. Since she had spoken to Zelda this morning, she had decided to watch this boy. If Zelda felt that he was the Hero of Time, then Nabouru believed that he was. She just had to be sure.

'_Odd,_' She noticed, '_he doesn't have a shadow… How peculiar…_' There was something not quite right about that.

There was a burst of energy behind her. She could tell that one of the immortal Sages had teleported behind her. She wouldn't have that power until she returned to Hyrule. She turned, expecting to see Impa, but that was not who was standing behind her.

"Saria!" Nabouru shouted, then cursed herself. She had alerted the children inside the house of her presence. Saria, though, either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Who are you?" Link shouted out the window, watching them carefully as if he were afraid that they were going to attack him or his siblings.

"Old friends." Saria walked over to the window, and climbed into the house. Nabouru followed her lead.

"I have no idea what you're on about!" Link's brother yelled, grabbing his sisters and running out of the room like a giant wuss. Link, however, stood there like a statue.

"What do you mean, '_old friends_'?" He demanded, his eyes darting between them and a nearby softball bat. Saria noticed this, and rolled her eyes.

"I mean," she held out her hand, and the bat flew into it, "that we wont hurt you, unless you try to attack us with this." She brandished the bat. Link took several steps back, not wanting to be hit.

"Now, Saria," Nabouru turned in annoyance to the forest child, "What is so important that you left your people?"

"Something's happened."

**HOURS LATER, IN THE KOKIRI FOREST**

"What happened here?" Nabouru gasped, eying the wreckage that was once a village.

"Dark Link and a group of Stalfoses attacked the village." Saria was acting strong, but it was obvious that she was breaking up inside.

"Whoa…" Link wasn't listening. He had never imagined a place like this. He had refused to be left behind, when he heard that Zelda would be heading to this place.

Link heard a moan from somewhere to his left. Turning, he saw a hand sticking out from underneath a bunch of logs and leaves. Hearing another moan, he ran over to the pile, and began moving the logs. The other two noticed what he was doing, and rushed to help him.

"Impa!" Saria squealed, feeling for a pulse. In her haste, she had forgotten that Impa was unable to die.

"What happened, Impa?" Nabouru asked, helping Impa sit up.

"I-" Impa shook her head to clear it, "I'm not sure. We got back here, and I has hit over the head. Where's Zelda?"

"Zelda was here?" Link asked in hushed tones, afraid of what he might hear.

"Saria! Oh, Saria!" The four of them looked over to the left side of the woods. Across the destruction flew three balls of light. Link almost fell off the ledge he was sitting near.

"Navi! Tatl! Tael!" the small child cried, and took the small things into her hands, "what happened here after I left?"

"We-we got here, and we saw all the destruction." The blue ball of light sobbed, "And we flew out to check for survivors. I saw— I saw— Oh Saria, it was Dark Link! He grabbed the Princess from behind, and a wizard disguised as you knocked Impa out. Dark Link knocked Zelda out, and dragged her out of the forest. We don't know where he took her! We went to follow him, but by the time we were in the tunnel on the way to the field, he disappeared! We looked all over for them, but we couldn't— We couldn't— We couldn't find them!" Navi ended in a huge sob.

"What do you mean, Dar— Ouch!" Link cursed, as he felt a scratch cut his face open.

"What happened?" Saria moved to get a look at the cut.

"I have no clue…" Link put a hand up to his face, and felt something warm and wet. He looked at his hand. Blood.

"Ow…fu—" Link cursed again, as he felt something crush his foot. It felt like someone stomped on it.

"What's going on?" Nabouru asked Impa, watching as more cuts and scratches appeared all over him. Eventually, there was a blow that knocked him out. Somehow he was being attacked by an invisible enemy. No one knew what was going on.

"We'd better get him to the castle, and try to figure out where the Princess is." Impa muttered. All the Sages nodded. They weren't happy about it, but until they knew where the Princess was, they had to help Link.

* * *

**How'd you like it? I hope you did! R&R! Questions anscomments are welcome, as it makes me think! You want me to think to keep this going. The updates will be a lot slower as of now, cause school is back. Also, I have to get my computer re-formatted, so it may be a while.**

**Thanks if you read this far! Once again, R&R!**


	19. The Only Option

**Hey, SO sorry! I sorta spaced out for a while, and didn't get anything written, plus my written chapters were deleted. I had to re-write the chapters, but I luckily had them saved on disk, and found them this morning**

**NOTE: The beginning of this chapter is simultaneous with the end of the last chapter. Sorry for any confusion.****

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter Ninteen

The Only Option

_Drip._

Zelda woke up in a dark place. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was how she got there.

_Drip._

Zelda began to notice tiny little slivers of light at either end of the room. She also began to hear water dripping onto a wet surface.

_Drip._

She noticed that the surface she was on was damp and cold. Bolting upright, she tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness.

_Drip._

Dimly, she could make out the outline of a large tree right next to her.

_Drip._

She reached out, and used a low branch to hoist herself up and steady herself.

_Drip._

Zelda put her foot out in front of her. Water.

_Drip._

The steady dripping of water was beginning to annoy Zelda. It was one of those things that kept her awake at night.

_Drip._

Zelda walked out into the shallow water. Putting a hand out in front of her, she walked toward the sliver of light blindly. Eventually her foot found dry land.

_Drip._

Zelda's hand came into contact with some carvings in the wall. Feeling around, Zelda discovered that she had indeed found a door.

_Drip._

Zelda felt around the door. No knob. Sighing in frustration, she stood there for a minute and thought.

_Drip._

The door flew open. Zelda's eyes stung from the unexpected burst of light. She felt a hand reach out and grab her wrist. In response, she flung her other hand blindly up, attempting to hit the person's face. Her hand came into contact with smooth skin. A curse followed.

"You little bitch." The voice, again, sounded almost exactly like Link. He twisted her arm, forcing her to turn around. His other arm came up across her chest, holding her firmly. Zelda's blood ran cold as soon as she felt the cold dagger pressed against her throat.

Thinking back to year eight self-defence, she stomped on her assailant's foot. He, not expecting her to fight back, cursed and dropped the blade. Taking advantage of his distraction, she flung her body into his own, knocking him off his feet.

Standing up, she finally got a look at her kidnapper. She gasped. He was pure darkness, literally. He looked exactly like Link's shadow, except he had blood-red eyes, and was three dimensional!

He seemed to melt into the ground, scaring the life out of her. He re-materialized behind her, and tried to hit her over the head.

Zelda's reflexes were heightened. She dodged the blow, and fought tooth and nail to stop him from getting hold of her again. She picked up the dagger that he dropped, and tried to stab him. All she succeeded in doing was nicking the skin on his arms or face.

He grabbed her wrist, and squeezed it. _Hard_. She heard her wrist crack, and dropped the knife as she stumbled over. Out of desperation, she felt around the floor for something. _Anything_. Her hand closed around something heavy, like a piece of loose stone. Picking it up, she swung it at the shadow's head. There was a sickening thud, as the shadow fell to the floor, unconscious.

Zelda whimpered, and held her wrist. It was most likely broken. How was she going to treat it? And, more importantly, how was she going to get out of here?

She looked around the room for any form of escape. Her eyes settled on a hole in the floor. She crawled over to it, and looked down. She saw raging waters below, and gulped.

Looking behind her, she tried to figure out what was worse. She wasn't thrilled about the raging waters below, that she might drown in. But, it was either that, or the dark monster here in the room with her, that would probably kill and/or rape her.

Closing her eyes, she jumped down into the hole. She landed with a splash in the waters below. The undertow dragged her head under, and she hurt her wrist even more on impact. If it wasn't broken before, it certainly was now.

Zelda was dragged underwater by the strong currents. She opened her eyes underwater, and panicked. She couldn't breath! And what was worse, she was headed for a whirlpool! Zelda felt, as she being sucked into the whirlpool, a pair of strong arms lift her out of the water. Zelda, from numerous hits on the head during her turbulent ride, passed out for the second time that day.

**LATER AT HYRULE CASTLE**

"He's got to be the one!"

"Well…" Impa was heard talking to Nabouru in the next room, "That much is obvious! We're just lucky that Dark Link didn't take the bag, too!"

"Yes, Impa." Nabouru was probably nodding, "But I do worry, though. I don't think he's had enough training for what he will have to face. He'll probably faint or something!"

"Nabouru, give the boy some credit." Impa sounded tired, "If he didn't faint when he saw he had no shadow, then he has at least _some_ guts. We'll just need to train him as best we can."

"I know…" Nabouru sighed, "I'll have to go tell Darunia that we can call off that fake boarding school. I'll get him and Ruto, and come back in a few days, OK?"

"Good idea." Impa gave her approval.

"But…" Nabouru sounded scared at the moment, "What about the Princess? Surely you aren't going to leave her out there with Dark Link! You know that, as strong as she may be, only the Hero of Time can either equal or better him!"

"Yes… I know." Impa heaved a sigh, "And I also know a little something about shadows. It seems that one of three things have happened."

"What?" Nabouru breathed.

"Scenario One; Someone wanted Zelda badly enough that they attacked Dark Link, and knocked him out." Nabouru gasped, "Scenario Two; Zelda, out of desperation, somehow knocked him out in a frantic escape attempt. Or, Scenario Three; Someone wanted Link dead so badly, that they attacked Dark Link, and left _him_ for dead, instead."

"I choose to believe Scenario Two." Nabouru was defiant now, "Even though One or Three are more likely. But, why would someone attack Dark Link to get to Link?"

"It's simple, really," Impa might as well have been explaining brain surgery to a toddler, "Dark Link is the evil shadow of Link. Shadows are always in the darkness, so they aren't exactly friendly. But, when one gets so hostile, they can separate from their body, and become a being in their own right. The person then becomes the Light Incarnation, and the shadow then becomes the Evil Incarnation."

"So…" Nabouru sounded confused, "In essence, they are the same person?"

"Correct." Impa sighed, "But it comes with consequences for both beings. Whenever one feels pain, or gets an injury, the other also feels it. If Dark Link was, say, stabbed in the heart and died, then Link would appear to have suffered the same blow, and would also die."

"So…" Nabouru was now angry, "We can't kill Dark Link without sacrificing Link? Is that what you're saying?"

"Precisely." Impa sounded quite calm, "The key word being '_we_'. The only person that can kill Dark Link and not feel the blows is Link himself, and vice versa."

Link opened his eyes. He had been listening to the women in the next room. He did _not_ like what he heard. He really didn't think he could stomach killing anything, unless it was in self defense. Even then, he would hesitate. But, he had no choice.

"Right, I'm going in to check on him." Impa walked closer to the door, "You get going."

"Bye, Impa." Link saw Nabouru's back as Impa opened the door.

"Ah, you're awake." Impa observed, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Link sat up, he didn't see the point in lying, "To know that it's either kill or be killed for me." Impa gave him a look of sympathy. She could tell that he didn't want to be a part of it.

"If it's any consolation," she put a hand on his shoulder, and peered into his eyes, "The Hero of Time was reluctant, too. But he had worse evils to face."

"Geez…" Link rolled his eyes, "That makes me feel _so_ much more confident."

"Now, now," Impa mock-scolded him, "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

"My mother tells me that all the time." He said dryly, "Have you found Zelda yet?" Impa looked him in the eye. What Link heard next froze his insides.

"No."

One word. Just one _tiny_ little word, and he froze. Then, the panic set in.

"_What_?" He demanded in distress. Impa tried to calm him, but had to call in one of the Castle attendants to restrain him.

"Listen!" She roared, "I understand your concern for the Princess! But there is nothing that can be done until we find her! Do you understand?"

Link hung his head in shame, and nodded.

**

* * *

Well, how do u like it. Please! R&R! I'm in desperate need of inspiration!**


	20. Escape From Dark Link

**Hey, Sorry for the LONG wait! I hope you enjoy the next few chapters.

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 20**

**Escape From Dark Link**

Zelda awoke the next day with a throbbing headache. The first thing she heard was the rushing of water. She bolted upright, and was relieved not to see the shadow-man anywhere.

What had happened to her? Frowning, she tried to remember. She'd fought with the shadow-man, and then she… couldn't remember…

"How are you feeling?" A woman's voice came from behind, frightening Zelda. Looking wildly around, she spotted a strange creature. She screamed, and fell off the pallet on which she had been set, injuring her strapped wrist even more.

"Don't be afraid," the fish-woman cooed, coming over to Zelda's side, and helping her up, "I wont hurt you. What's your name, child?"

"Ze-Zelda." Zelda stuttered, terrified.

"Well, Zelda," The fish-woman smiled softly, "I am Kyan, Queen of the Zoras. Where do you hail from? Are you a Sheikah?"

"No, I-I'm not a Sheikah." Zelda stammered, "But I am living at the Castle. One of them is sort of my guardian. Her name is Impa."

"Impa? The Sage of Shadows?" Queen Kyan inquired, with interest, "Would you, by chance, happen to be _Princess_ Zelda?" Zelda nodded.

"Yes, Majesty." She stood and bowed. Looking at the floor, she noticed a change in her clothing. She still wore her dress, but over the top had been placed some sort of blue tunic.

"Don't call me Majesty, Zelda." Kyan spoke softly, "Call me Kyan. We are both of royal blood, are we not?"

"I suppose so…" Zelda trailed off, picking at the tunic and looking up, "What _is_ this?" she inquired, indicating the strange garment.

"That?" Zelda nodded, "It's called a Zora's Tunic. It's made from a special material, then it is enchanted so the wearer can breath underwater. When a few of my officers found you in the Water Temple yesterday, you were just about drowned. They put this on you, strapped your wrist, and one of them swam you here. You are lucky to have survived, you know."

"Where am I?" was Zelda's next question.

"You are in Zora's domain." Kyan looked around the place proudly. It was beautiful, with it's tall waterfalls, and it's clear waters.

"That dark man in the Temple…" Zelda faltered, "Who is he?"

"I'm not sure…" Kyan thought hard, "But, from the descriptions the guards gave me, he seems to fit the profile of an ancient monster that used to haunt the Temple in the days of the Hero of Time."

"What was the monsters name?" Zelda pressed, so she could sign the bounty declaration.

"Dark Link." Zelda gaped like a fish. Of course! That was why he sounded so much like Link! He was his shadow!

There was a giant explosion somewhere hear the back of the Domain. Zelda, frightened, almost ran away.

"Zelda! You little bitch!" Dark Link's voice rang in the enclosed space, "Where are you? I'll kill you! And I'll kill your precious Sages, too!"

"Go!" Kyan pushed Zelda over toward the exit, which was concealed by a waterfall, "Swim for the Castle moat! Don't forget, you can breath underwater, as long as you have that tunic on!"

"But—"

"Just go!"

Zelda took a running leap, and dived into the water outside the Domain. She swam with the currents, praying that they would take her the right way. She fought to keep her head above water, until she realised that she would be able to breath even if she went under.

Letting the currents drag her under, she took a breath. It was just like she was above water, except she felt weightless. If it weren't for the dangerous situation, Zelda might have even _enjoyed_ it. Pushing herself harder, she sped up.

Reaching the Market wall, she jumped out of the water, and ran for it.

**INSIDE THE CASTLE**

Link whistled in awe. Impa had just told him the entire story of the Hero of Time, and all about Hyrule, to keep him from doing something stupid. She also told him about Zelda's involvement, and Link's role in it all. Link thought Zelda just ran away from home, but he never even thought that she might have been involved with the strange happenings in his life recently.

Those strange happenings being the appearance of what he now knew to be the Triforce of Courage on his hand last week, the weird dreams, the speaking in strange languages, and, the most recent, his shadow disappearing.

There was a commotion in the hall, and Zelda burst into the room, soaked to the bone, as if someone had been trying to drown her. She was panting severely.

"Zelda, are you alright?" Impa jumped up and got her a towel. Zelda shook her head. Link clenched his fists. Whoever had hurt her had better be careful. He was about ready to explode.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at her. She looked up, and seemed surprised to see him there. It only lasted a moment, though, before she threw her arms around him and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Water Temple…Dark Link… Zora's Domain!" was all that anyone could understand. Link sat Zelda down, and tried to calm her. It took several minutes before she had control of her breathing again.

"Now," Impa stood in front of them, after watching the display moments before, "explain it again."

"I-I woke up somewhere in the Water Temple," Zelda paused and grimaced, "I couldn't see, cause it was too dark. I made my way to the wall, and found a door with no knob. I stood there, thinking, and it opened. I-I was attacked by-by D-Dark Link," Zelda shivered, remembering the incident more clearly, "And I-I fought back. I-He broke my wrist," she held up the strap to show them, "when I tried to stab him with his own dagger. I picked up a piece of rock and hit him in the head with it, and he fell unconscious. I-I jumped down into a hole in the floor, and the water below dragged me into a whirlpool. Someone pulled me out, and I passed out again."

"Then what happened?" Impa pressed, needing all the information that she could get.

"I woke up in Zora's Domain a few hours ago, and I spoke with the Zora Queen for a few minutes, before Dar-Dark Link showed up and tried to find me. He threatened to kill me, and the rest of the Sages. Kyan, the Zora Queen, told me to run for it to Hyrule Castle. I got here OK, too. He never found me. I'm worried about the Zoras, though…"

"I'll send someone to check it out tomorrow, OK?" Impa offered kindly. Zelda nodded, feeling a little better.

Right then and there, Link made a vow to himself. No matter what it took, he was going to kill Dark Link.

**LATER**

"Impa." Rauru's voice resonated throughout the Temple of Time, "Impa, my sister, why are you here? What brings you to seek my guidance?"

Impa looked up at the astral form of Rauru, the Sage of Light, and voiced her concerns.

"I'm a little worried that they are confused. They are two completely different people, with completely different destinies, yet they seem too close—"

"Impa," Rauru tutted, as if speaking to a small child who had misbehaved, "Love works in mysterious ways. It is not confusion that draws them together, but their hearts. Let them have this. If it is what they want, they will succeed. Do not fear. It will not disrupt their quest. If anything, it will make them more eager to keep each other safe. You must _not_ doubt them, or they _will_ fail.

"Very well." That seemed to be Impa's favourite term, "I shall. Thank you, brother Rauru."

"Anytime." The first hints of a smile touched his eyes, "It's not often I get visitors."

Impa laughed softly as he dissipated.

* * *

**Hey, next chap is up now! Review after you read that, please?**


	21. Dark Link Gets A Mission

**Hey, people. I'm afraid that this will be the last chapter that I will post on this story for a while. I've just run out of ideas! I've been struggling to write this chapter, but I just CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE! I know where I want it to go, but I have no idea on how to get it there. If you can give me any ideas at all, no matter how far-fetched it would be, PLEASE tell me! I can make almost anything fit! I even figured out how to add Ganondorf into the story, see?**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 21**

**Dark Link Gets a Mission**

Zelda was about ready to throw the steaming hot cauldron at Feien's face. She had been sitting there for hours, and still she hadn't gotten it right.

"Three Tektike's eyes..." Zelda read from the ancient text in front of her, while collecting the ingredients from her potion-brewer's pouch. Thinly slicing the gooey things, she disgustedly chucked them into the boiling water in front of her. The water hissed for a moment, and then it turned a sickly neon yellow. Zelda referred to her text again.

"One Ghoma egg. Crushed in..." Zelda squinted to make sure she read the words right, "eww... Skultula blood. Icky! Gross!"

"Zelda..." Feien scolded, obviously irrtated at Zelda's immiturity, "You must do as the book says. If you brew it the wrong way, it can just as easily kill a person. Especially when every single one of the ingredients are poisonous."

Mumbling about liking to poison Feien, Zelda hurried off to the stone cooler in the next room to retrieve the egg and blood. Quickly thinking, she also pinched a pair of gloves from the rack next to the door. No way was she going to get spider blood on her hands!

When Zelda re-entered the room, Feien had produced a mixing bowl and placed it on her desk. Feien looked over at Zelda, and took in the fact that she had gloves in her hand. Frowning, she held out her hand.

"Give me the gloves, Zelda." Feien scolded, and Zelda handed them to her somewhat reluctantly, "You must hold all of the ingredients with your bare hands. That is what gives it it's magical properties."

Zelda scowled, and dumped the egg and blood in the large bowl. Screwing up her face, and looking away, she plunged her hands in the thick, gooey green substance. Surprised, she looked down at her hands. The green blood had completely envelloped the egg, and was hardening around her hands. Cursing, she pulled them out of the bowl. Amazingly, the stuff slid off when her hands left the bowl.

Staring, she watched as the blood hardened, and began compressing the egg, crushing it into a fine powder. When it was done, the blood turned back into goo, but the egg powder had mixed into it. Still perplexed, Zelda tipped the contents of the bowl into the cauldron. The addition of the new substance caused the mixture to froth and, surprisingly, give off the scent of lavender. Zelda stirred the mixture in the cauldron, and it turned purple.

Feien peered over Zelda's shoulder. She tried to compare the colour of the brew with many of her own.

"Hmmm... You're doing better." She said absent-mindedly, "You've not made any mistakes so far." Zelda, however, was ignoring her and reading the text again. Without a word, she reached for the athemae on the rack on the other side of the counter. Wincing, she cut a line into the palm of her right hand, and held her fist over the cauldron. A drop of blood trickled to the tip of her fist, and dripped into the brew.

There was a miniature explosion, and the potion took on what would be it's final colour. Zelda peered into the brew, somewhat nervous. Biting back a whoop of triumph, she ladled the hot mixture into several glass jars to cool. It was a deep blue colour, exactly as the illustration depicted it should be.

Apparently satisfied, Feien dismissed her. Zelda rushed up the steps, intending to go outside. It seemed, however, that Impa had different plans for her.

"Zelda!" She barked from a hallway to the left. Zelda faltered, and backed up three paces to look down the hall.

"Yes?" She asked, just now becoming aware that she hadn't bandaged her hand. She could feel the small trickle of blood as it travelled down her fingertips and dripped onto the floor.

"Where are you going?" She barked. Over the last few weeks, she had been slowly getting more and more irritable, and snapped at her for the silliest reasons. Zelda was beginning to become a little afraid of her.

"I was going to bandage my hand, then I was going to come see you for our lesson." She lied, "I was going to be there, I swear!" Zelda hated her lessons with Impa. They always ended in Zelda having at least one of the major limbs aching afterward. On several occasions, Impa had even broken a bone when she failed to complete the spell.

"No need to bandage it." Impa said stiffly, motioning for her to follow, "We are working on healing spells today."

Zelda stiffened. She still hadn't mastered attacking spells. If she couldn't attack, then she could be killed!

"But Impa--" Zelda started, but faltered at the sight of Impa's face. She was incredibly intimidating when she wanted to be.

"But nothing!" Impa bellowed at the top of her lungs, "You are working on healing spells today. Perhaps the consequences of failing those spells will get you to do it right."

Zelda gulped. She knew full well that if you didn't cast a healing spell properly, that you would simply remove the injury from the wounded person, and inflict that same wound on yourself. In extreme cases, depending on your endurance and strength, you could even kill yourself.

"No." Zelda shocked even herself, "I'm not doing it." Impa got aggravated, made an advance towards her, as if she was going to punch her. Zelda screamed, and held her arms out to defend herself. She stood there for a few minutes, awaiting the blow, but it never came.

Eventually, Zelda looked past her arms to see Impa frozen in mid air. What did she do?

A few of the castle's soldiers chose that moment to round the corner. Shouting, they pulled Impa to the ground, and many other soldiers came running. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she became mobile once again. Springing through the guards, she tried to punch Zelda once more. Zelda flinched. Neither took heed of who was standing behind Zelda.

**OUTSIDE**

Link could hear shouting from the Potion Brewery. He stiffened, remembering that Zelda was taking a lesson in there. He dropped the pitchfork he was using, and raced to the building to find out what all the shouting was about.

What he saw didn't make sense. Why was Impa...?

Link wasn't given any more time to think. Impa took a swing at Zelda, and there was a sickening crack, as if a bone had been broken. Zelda stumbelled back a few paces, and ran into him. He caught her before she hit the ground, and inspected her face. Amazingly, there was no broken mose. Link looked up, and saw Impa cradling her fist. So that was the crack...

"What's going on!" He demanded of the soldiers, who cowered before his wrath. He was a better swordsman than all of them combined, and he used that to his advantage when he wanted to know something from them.

"We-We don't kn-know, My Lord--" One of the smaller men stutterred, before he was elbowed in the ribs by one of the bigger men.

"What's it to you, Stink?" Link frowned, and the soldiers all moved behind the man that had insulted him. There was only one man that would call him that.

"It would do you well to respect me, Driad." Was all that Link said to the man, before he turned back to Zelda. Helping her up, he took her outside for a bit of fresh air.

"What happened, Princess?" He hated using the term. Zelda seemed fine with it, but her eyes belied the calm in her posture. Since Zelda had been recognised by the council as the official Princess of Hyrule, he'd had to call her Princess. Even worse, they'd had to break up. It was forbidden by Hyrulian law for the Princess to be courted by anyone other than a man of royal blood.

Zelda got slightly hysterical, and began to recount the events. Link sat her down on a bench, and tried to calm her down. He wouldn't get anything out of her if she couldn't breath properly. Eventually, after several minutes, Zelda told the rest of her story.

"... and then, she punched me!" Zelda trembelled, rememberring one of her most trusted friends attacking her. It was not something that she would get over anytime soon. She sat there, and wrapped her arms around herself, knowing that Link could not do it himself.

"I'll go and speak with Impa as soon as she's calmed down, if that's alright?" Link was able to choke out. As soon as she had nodded, he stood up and took his leave of her.

**LATER**

"Dark Link!"

"Yes, Milord?" Dark Link stooped low, bowing to his master, "What can I do for you, Oh Great King of Evil?"

Ganondorf scowled at his henchman. He needed someone that did not bear such a close resemblence to his arch-enemy. It brought back many painful memories. Especially the ones of him burning in the pits of teh Evil Realm.

"I have a mission for you, my minion..."

* * *

**I'm afraid that this will be the last chapter that I will post on this story for a while. I've just run out of ideas! I've been struggling to write this chapter, but I just CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE! I know where I want it to go, but I have no idea on how to get it there. If you can give me any ideas at all, no matter how far-fetched it would be, PLEASE tell me! I can make almost anything fit! I even figured out how to add Ganondorf into the story, see?**


	22. The New Arrivals

**HEY PEOPLE! I'M FINALLY BACK FROM HIATUS! YAY!**

**But seriously, this was something that I just _thought_ about on the weekend it was originally just going to be a one-shot, but I found a way to tie it into this story. It just opened so many different possibilities for this story to go!**

**Enjoy the new chapter people, and REVIEW when you are done!**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 22**

**The New Arrivals**

Dark Link rolled out of the fire ball's path. He'd gone to the Evil Realm and back to get into this blasted cave, and he wasn't going to die as soon as he got there! He faced the Giant Dinofos, and drew an arrow. Letting loose, he only had _just_ enough time to dodge the next fireball.

There was a horrible spluttering sound, as Dark Link's next arrow found it's mark. The arrow embedded itself in the giant lizard's neck, spilling dark red blood everywhere. Dark Link had to move quickly to avoid being fallen on. He winced as the moster flailed around and fell and hit the ground.

Ignoring the blood that poured everywhere, Dark Link climbed onto the dead monster's back. The thing was blocking off the other side of the room, where the next door was.

In the next room, it was pitch black. Dark Link stood still and closed his eyes, listening. With lightning reflexes, he backhanded the Green Bubble that had snuck up behind him. Green fire erupted from the beast, illuminating the room momentarily. It was enough for Dark Link to notice a lamp a little to the right of him. That gave him an idea.

He continued to backhand the Green Bubble, but only after the flames had gone out. He made a point not to hurt it, only aggravate it. Once he got it angry enough, he ran and stood behind the unlit torch. The stupid burning skull did not know what he was doing, so it flew directly to him, passing over the torch. Once a spark hit the torch, it ignited. The Green Bubble was not quick enough. It was incinerated by the torch.

"Funny..." Dark Link mumbelled, his voice echoing, "You'd think a fire monster would be immune to fire. Oh well, I'm not complaining."

The room was only dimly lit. Dark Link saw three more unlit torches in each corner of the room. He thought for a moment. Drawing an arrow out of his quiver, he touched it to the flame in the torch behind him. Drawing it in his bow, he aimed at the farthest torch from him. It was a hit. The torch ignited, making the room a little brighter. He repeated this action twice more, and the room was as bright as day. Dark Link got the chills noticing the human remains that littered the floor.

He quickly discovered, however, that they were not human remains. As he took a few steps forward, the skulls started to ignite, and levitate. Dark Link cursed voilently. This was just _not_ his day.

**DEEP IN THE EVIL REALM**

Ganondorf laughed. He watched as Dark Link, his most loyal minion, was burnt over and over again. He could just imagine the agony that both Link and Dark Link would be suffering at that very moment. He felt no compassion. Quite the opposite, in fact. He _enjoyed_ seeing his creatures suffer.

"Your Greatness?" A lone stalfos had timidly crept up behind him.

"Yes?" Ganondorf barked, turning sharply. The Stalfos was quivering so badly that it's bones were rattling.

"We've located the source of the spell."

"Well? Who was it?" Ganondorf demanded, the excited glint in his eyes belied his angry tone of voice. The Stalfos straightened up, and marched to the doors.

"Presenting, the Great Angahim." The Stalfos proclaimed, opening the door. In strolled the _ugliest_ thing Ganondorf had ever seen, and that included himself. He had pasty brown, wrinkly skin, glowing green eyes, and wore a bulky green robe that was longer than he was. He probably only came up to Ganondorf's chest.

"Who are you?" Ganondorf asked, but a better question would have been 'what are you?'.

"You are Ganondorf?" Angahim eyed him, clearly unimpressed, "I expected someone with more sense. You know that your armour will not stand up against the Master Sword." Ganondorf forced himself to calm down. He wanted to build an alliance with... whatever it was... rather than start a rivalry.

"Yes, I am aware of that," Ganondorf said impishly, "All too aware, in fact. The Master Sword and I have been introduced on a few occasions." Angahim chuckled, then regianed composure of himself. He seemed to want to know why he was here.

"Angahim, I want to know who you are, and where you come from. Now." Ganondorf demanded. Angahim raised an eyebrow, but complied.

"I am a wizard from an alternate dimension." Ganondorf arched an eyebrow skeptically, but let him continue, "I attempted to take over Hyrule, but in the final battle, that sorceress, _Princess Zelda_," he spat out the name as if it were poison, "cast a spell that went wrong. It transported me here."

"Let me guess." Ganondorf ventured, "The warrior that wielded the Master Sword was Link?" Angahim nodded, "Alright... But that does not explain why you cast the mind-controlling spell over the Sage of Shadows."

"Ah... That's what she is, then?" He shrugged, "I feel secure when I know my surroundings, and the goings-on. She was my vessel to see into the castle." Ganondorf nodded.

"Well, would you be interested in..." Ganondorf and Angahim conspired in a few hours, until they came to an agreement. Angahim would help Ganondorf conquer this Hyrule, and in return, Ganondorf would help Angahim get back to his own Hyrule, and conquer it.

**IN HYRULE FIELD**

Sir Link and Princess Zelda both woke up at the same time. Sitting up, they shook their heads and looked around them. They were in an unfamiliar place, and were both on high alert.

"Where are we, Link?" Zelda asked, her light brown eyes open wide at such a peaceful place. Pulling on her braid, her light brown hair tumbelled in waves down her back, reaching her hips. Shaking it out, she saw grass fly everywhere out of the corner on her eye.

"I don't know, Zel." Link was just as wide eyed as her. The deep brown pools took in everything around him. His dark brown hair was falling over his eyes, and he tucked it back underneath his cap. He surveyed their surroundings nervously, magic dancing on the blade of the unsheathed Master Sword in his hands.

In the distance, they could hear horses. They were a fair way off, but they were approaching at a rapid pace. Both of them stood up, and surveyed the horizon for a horse. In the distance, approaching from the direction of the castle, they spotted a miniature army of about twenty or thirty men. Within minutes, they were surrounded, with spears pointing at them from all directions.

Link was disarmed, and they were herded into a small armoured carriage, and within a few seconds, felt themselves moving. Never a word was said. Zelda looked at Link in confusion. He looked as if he were planning an escape. Zelda knew, however, that such an attempt would be suicide.

"Link." She warned, "Let's just go where they want to take us. Maybe we can find out where we are." Link, not liking the situation at all, trusted her judgement. She wasn't often wrong.

Sitting back as comfortably as they could, they waited out the ride as comfortably as possible, considering their accomodation. Eventually, they came to a halt in front of the castle gates. They carriage door was jerked open, and they were roughly pulled out and bound.

The men that had bound them dragged them through the courtyard, and around to the side of the castle. Opening a door, they pushed Zelda into a dark room, to be dragged off by more men. This reminded her of being kept in the dungoens by Angahim back home, except she was not as afraid this time.

The cell where she was left in seemed as if it hadn't been used in centuries. Zelda was on one side of the dungeons, and Link wasn't even in the same dungeon. She'd seen the men dump him in a pit somewhere outside. She wasn't too envious at the moment, when she noticed that the cell where she was was not too bad. And above ground.

Feather matresses and blankets were dumped in the cell in a few minutes time, and it was clear that Zelda would be responsible for putting together her own bedding. She set about the task, but she was not going well. She could hear the guards laughing at her from outside. Zelda gritted her teeth, and did it to the best of her ability.

**MAXIMUM SECURITY DUNGEONS**

Link was tossed into a pit. He was literally thrown in. He'd tried to struggle with the guards, but there were too many of them. They'd dragged Zelda off to the Goddesses only knew where, to do the Goddesses only knew what. He worried himself into a sort of stupor. His mind began the planning to get out of here. It didn't seem as if he was going to be realeased anytime soon. The guards hadn't spoken to him at all, even out in the field where he and Zelda had been arrested. He still didn't know what he had been charged with.

**PRINCESS'S CHANBERS** _(the blonde Zelda)_

Zelda sighed, and began to read the summons sent by the dungeon guards. They wanted her down in the minimum security dungeon to check out a new prisioner, and then to the maximim, to check out another. Probably to sentence another bread-stealer. She was in no mood, so she sent another letter back, saying that it was too late, and that she'd come down tomorrow. It was, indeed, well into the night by now. And she was worried about Link. He'd been coming up with bruises and burns since early that morning. Dam that Dark Link!

Blowing out the candle, Zelda slowly walked to her bed, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was that night that she dreamed.

* * *

**There! How did you like it? I'd just like to take a moment to thank all of you readers out there who have taken the time to review in my absence, and for supporting me.**

**Review again, please? I'm asking you nicely!**


	23. Zelda, Zel, Link and Linn

**Hey, I'm back! How do you think it is going? I accept all reviews! And yes, that is a hint, people!**

**

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 23**

**Zelda, Zel, Link ans Linn**

**Dream** _(the blonde Zelda)_

_A plump old man in an orange robe with red trimmings appeared before Zelda in a ring of light. Then, Saria appeared to the right of him. Darunia to the right of her, then Ruto, Nabouru, and then Impa. Zelda warily kept her eye on Impa._

_The Six Sages were standing in a circle around her, and they raised their hands. Zelda saw a bright flash, and she was spirited away from the room. Once she could see again, she could tell that this was something that she had to know._

_She was standing in a dungeon. Guards came, and dumped seven women into the cells. Once the guards moved away, Zelda had a clear view of the women. They all looked to be about eighteen, the same age as her, maybe a litte bit younger. One woman was dressed in a yellow gown, another in a green gown, another in a red gown, a fourth one in a blue gown, a fifth in a orange gown, and a sixth n a purple gown. The one that really shocked Zelda, though, was the one in the pink gown with the tiara on her head._

_It was like she was looking at a mirror image of herself, except the woman in the cell had brown hair and eyes. She barely had time to register that fact, before there were a series of five flashes, and each time one girl was removed from the cell. The first one was the woman in yellow, the second in green, the third flash saw the woman in red disappear, then the one in blue, then the one in orange. They all disappeared, until it was just the women in purple and pink left in the cell. On the sixth flash, Zelda saw what she assumed happened to the other five women._

_Two guards came over to the cell, opened it, and draged the woman in purple away. Behind the gurads, came a... something. It looked at the last woman in the cell, and burst into a high-pitched, evil laughter._

_"You will never escape, Princess Zelda! Never!" It laughed. The woman in the cell held her brave demeanour._

_"Oh, I beg to differ, Angahim." She spat. Zelda gasped. The woman in the cell was Princess Zelda? But... that would mean that she wasn't. That was good... right?_

_"Oh?" Angahim's shrill laughter stopped abruptly, "And what exactly do you mean by that, Princess?" He used the word 'princess' as if it were a taunt._

_"I mean," Princess Zelda said, never moving her eyes, "That I will escape, and you will be stopped by a great Hero who weilds the Master Sword." More laughter on Angahim's part._

_"The Master Sword! Ha!" He seemed to be building his ego with every word, "The Master Sword is but pure myth! And, even if this 'Hero' did appear, he would not be able to touch me with the fabled 'blade of evil's bane'! I am immune to it!" And with that, he disappeared in a flash._

_The Zelda in the cell hung her head, and began to murmer. The blonde Zelda got as close as she could so that she could hear the words._

_"Help me..." She was murmering, "I am a prisoner in the castle... My name is Zelda..." Before she could finish what she was saying, there was another flash. Zelda thought it was time for the last woman to be taken, but it was not a guard that stood there when the light died down. It was a man with dark hair and eyes that looked just like Link. There were fallen guards all around. It seemed as if the man was wounded slightly, as well._

_He opened the cell, and walked inside and bowed to his princess. She placed a hand on his head, and healed his wounds. The blonde Zelda started to feel a bit envious. She couldn't do healing spells yet!_

_"Thank you..." The Zelda in the cell muttered. Another flash, and the mysterious brunettes were in some sort of church. Another flash, and there was Angahim again, but he had Zelda this time, lying on an altar. Link was standing rooted to the spot._

_Angahim raised his arms, and zapped the woman on the altar. Ther was a series of explosions, and the woman disappeared. Link and the... thing... exchanged a few threats, and then it came to blows. there was another flash, and then..._

**REALITY**_ (the blonde Zelda)_

Zelda bolted up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. She was panting heavily, and could feel her heart going at a million miles an hour. She did not understand the meaning of her dream, but she knew that it was something important.

She got up and bathed. Upon getting out she had to call for Micha and Sharkas to come in and help her dress. She had gotten used to it by now, although it didn't make getting your underwear tightened by someone any more pleasant. Dismissing the girls, she brushed her hair, and then prepared herself. She was just about to open the doors, when there was a knock.

Opening the door, Zelda found a letter pushed into her hand, and watching an angry back walking away from her. The Goddesses only knew why Link was behaving this way. Zelda read the note, and called out for Link to stop.

"Link!" she cried, and the figure in front of her halted, never turning around, "Come with me! Please?"

"If that is what you wish, Princess." Link said blandly, and followed her to the dungeons. The letter was another summons by the guards in the prisons. Apparently they were not pleased with her response last night, and they wanted her there, _now_.

Zelda tried to remember the way to the minmum security prison, only having gone there once before. She sucessfully navigated her way there, only having to be directed by Link once. She emerged into a long, dark hall, and saw all the soldiers in the prison bow to her.

There were numerous thieves locked up, some as young as five years old. Zelda felt compassion for the small children, but was in no real position to say anything, not fully knowing Hyrule's laws as well as the guards. Eventually, one of the guards led her to a secluded cell, containing one woman.

Zelda stood rooted to the spot. So did the woman in the cell.

**IN THE DUNGEONS **_(the brunette Zelda)_

She sat there, listening to the men yell something about Princess Zelda coming. She frowned. Didn't they know that _she_ was Princess Zelda? She was just about to say so, when the doors to her confined cell were thrown open, and she found herself frozen in shock, looking at a mirror image of herself, although fairer. The blue-eyed blonde version, slightly more graceful than her, was the first to snap out of it, and smiled warmly.

"Guards," Although her expression was warm, her tone was not, "let this woman out of the cell. _Now_."

The next thing that Zelda knew, she was being apologised to her by her fairer twin. She explained how her people had been on alert and that her sudden apperance and likeness to her had alarmed them.

"Where is Link?" the blonde Princess asked her, stunning her.

"I am right here, Princess." A blue-eyed blonde boy who could have been Link's twin brother, stepped out of the shadows.

"Not you." Princess Zelda said distractedly. The man that had spoken hung his head in hurt.

"He-he was dragged off and thrown into a pit." Ugh! Her voice seemed like a bear compared to the blonde Princess's melodious one.

"Ah..." she turned to the soldiers that flanked her. "Release the man, and have him brought to my chambers after he has been cleaned up. Link," she turned to the man with golden hair standing behind her, "can you watch over him for me?"

"Yes, Princess." The man bowed deeply, and took several guards with him. Zelda blinked, and a small delicate hand was in front of her. Taking it, she felt herself being pulled up by a surprisingly strong arm. The delicate woman in front of her had not stopped smiling. Zelda was feeling a bit unnerved.

Turning around, the woman motioned for Zelda to follow her. Zelda followed the slight, graceful figure through the many corridoors of the castle, looking around in awe.

It was when they reached the outside courtyard that Zelda began to notice things about her strange guide.

She had thought that they were exactly the same, except that the other woman had blonde hair and blue eyes. There were, however, slight differences other than that. The fairer woman was slightly shorter, and her skin was a lot lighter than Zelda's tan. Her guide's ears were also slightly more pointed than hers. Her guide also wore graceful clothing, fitting her form to her hips, than flaring out. Nothing like she had ever worn, nor was likely to wear.

She continued to follow the woman, and eventually came to a grand chamber. The woman threw open the doors, and Zelda was dragged away by several servants, leaving the strange woman to follow with a giggle.

After about an hour, Zelda sat across from the strange woman in what she assumed to be the tea parlour. She began to feel sightly nervous under her scrutinizing gaze. She squirmed, and the other woman giggled softly.

"Forgive me um..." The blonde woman faltered, "But would you object to being known as 'Zel'? It is quite difficult to have two 'Zelda's in the same world, especially since we are both Princesses." Zelda, or 'Zel', blinked.

"No, I don't have any objections, Your Highness." The Princess laughed.

"Call me Zelda." She said simply. Both women laughed. The opening of a door drew their attention.

In walked both of the Links. They were in a heated discussion about the Master Sword, one claiming that it was far too sacred to let anyone evil weild it _(blonde Link)_, and the other saying that anyone that had proven themselves worthy, even if they were evil, could weild it _(brunette Link)_. Both women rolled their eyes, both obviously not interested in the topic at that very moment.

"Link," Zel muttered to Zelda, "is obsessed with that sword. I admit that it's powerful, but there's so much that we don't know about it."

"Hey!" Both men said, making the women laugh.

"Link, this is Zelda, or Zel, as we have agreed as a way to lessen confusion." She indicated Zel, and then the blonde man, "Zel, this is Link."

"Pleased to meet you," Zel giggled as the blonde man kissed the back of her hand, mumbelling that it was a pleasure. Zel noticed that Zelda tensed up a bit and got a bit of a cold look in her eyes. Zel guessed that there was something going on between Zelda and Link. Or there was, at least, once.

"This is Link," Zel indicated the man with brown hair, "Who also goes by the name of Linn. I think it would be better for us to call him by that, don't you, Linn?" Link, or Linn, nodded, seeming defeated.

Link and Linn sat at the tabe, and there was tea and biscuits brought in on a tray by a servant. Zelda was the first to ask a question.

"I hope you don't think me rude, but how did you two get here?" Zelda studied Linn, and Zel noticed that Link had suddenly become cold and distant, like he was jealous. That just confirmed her earlier suspicions.

"Well," Zel spoke up, being the only one to have any idea, "I'm not positive, but we were battling an evil wizard--" Zelda chose now to butt in.

"Angahim." It was a statement. Zel was about to ask how she knew, but Zelda waved her hand, indicating that she sould continue.

"Yes, well, Link -- I'm sorry, _Linn_ -- was just about to deliver the final blow, when I cast a spell to hold him in place. It sorta... I don't know... Backfired, I suppose. The next thing I knew, we were here."

"Right..." Zelda sighed, "Well, I must ask you to remain in the castle until it is safe to leave. We are currently having wizard problems of our own."

**

* * *

Hey, people! I just thought I'd have to give them different names so we could tell them apart. The blondeones are Zelda and Link, and the brunettes are Zel and Linn. If you want me to rewrite the chapter with those names, so you aren't too confused, send me your email, and I'll send it to you.**


	24. The First Awakening

**Hey! I'm sorry it took so long, but I've just really been into this game called _Runescape _lately. If any of you actually play, add Opalmage to your list. That is the account I use most often. I'd love to hear from you! Just tell me that you are a reader, and i wont block you... ANYWAY! Back on topic. Yeah, so... enjoy.**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter 24**

**The First Awakening**

Zelda sighed, and stared out her bedroom window. She was not looking forward to leaving the security of the castle, but she _desperately_ needed a change of scenery.

She, Zel, Link and Linn were going to go riding today. Surely with Link and Linn's sword skills, and Zel's magical powers, Zelda would be safe? She had a really bad feeling about the whole outing from the second that Link had suggested it yesterday. Even though she was against it, she agreed to go, purely to get out of the stuffy confines of her new home.

Turning on her heel, she left her bedroom, and strolled through the halls of the castle, admiring each and every portrait that she crossed. It had just occurred to her that she had never really stopped to admire them before, even though she had lived there for about a year and a half now.

After about half an hour, she heard voices coming from a closet nearby. There was a few murmerings, a thump, and a giggle. Zelda, her curiosity at it's peak, opened the door to find a young couple entwined in each other's arms, kissing passionately. Thankfully, they were still fully clothed.

Zelda considered leaving the two sixteen year olds to their own devices, but decided to stop them from doing something stupid. Clearing her throat, she spoke up.

"If you would like me to organise a priest," Zelda said, half sternly, half amused, "I would gladly organise one for you." The two teenagers looked up, surprised at the person that had disturbed them. Surprise, however, quickly escalated to embarassment, as they scrambled out of the closet, and bowed to her. Zelda could not help but giggle at their bright red faces.

"Just don't do it again." She laughed lightly, and waved her hands, "If you are caught again, I will have no choice but to inform your parents." The two teens, wide-eyed, scampered off in the direction of the gardens. Giggling, Zelda continued on her way.

Eventually, her feet led her to a small, enclosed circular courtyard. She came here often. She recognised it in her dreams as the place that the original Princess Zelda had met the Hero of Time. Sitting on the steps, she began to think very long and hard.

It wasn't that she didn't like the company of the Sheikah, it was just that she was different to them. She was thankful, if not a little afraid, that she _might_ be going to Kakariko today. There, she would see people of her own race, even if they were deemed her ancestral enemies. She had to remember, though, that the Hylians were also a part of her background. She could not say that she was not one of them, but she wasn't truly one of them, either. It didn't matter that they would all be stone statues, it still made her feel better.

Collecting her thoughts, she returned to her chambers. Zel was just about to knock on the door when Zelda rounded the corner.

"Yes?" Zelda asked, startling Zel. Zel whipped around, and it took her a few seconds to figure out what she wanted to say.

"A-are you ready to go?" Zel asked, still a bit shaken. Zelda shook her head. The time that she had spent walking around the castle was the time that she should have used to prepare for their outing.

"Give me a few minutes." Zelda said, going inside, "You can wait here if you want."

"Nah," Zel waved her hand, "Just meet us in the stables in about twenty minutes." Zelda nodded, and closed the door.

**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

Link sat on the haystack, frustrated. Zelda had an extra twenty minutes, and she was still late! Finally, the door to the stables opened, and Zelda walked in.

"Sorry I took so long." Zelda apologised. No one even bothered to ask why she had taken her sweet time. It would probably eventually lead to her saying the same old thing. 'I got lost, this place is so big', that's what she'd say. That's what she always said.

"Let's go, then!" Linn exclaimed, already having mounted his horse. The rest of them all mounted, Link having to help both Zelda and Zel, and made their way out of the gates.

The fields were so peaceful, without any monsters anywhere. They rode to the highest point in the field, and surveyed their surroundings.

"I want to go to the ranch," Zelda said suddenly, "Something is telling me to go there." Since they had nothing better to do, or because she was the Princess, she didn't know, but they followed her to the ranch. Entering the ranch's gates, Zelda got a bit of a fright.

A man stood there, frozen in stone. His eyes were wide and staring, and his posture was one of fright. Zelda put a hand to her chest, and felt her heartbeat. It was going at a rate that she didn't think was healthy. Taking several deep breaths, she dismounted with the others.

While Zel and Linn were busy examining the stone man, Zelda and Link went inside. Link stayed downstairs, but Zelda went upstairs, and emerged in what looked like sleeping quarters. There was a crib, and a double bed. Zelda walked over to the closet, and opened it. There were several tunics in there, most of them green, a red one, and a blue one. Zelda realised, with a gasp, that she had unwittingly stumbelled upon the home of the Hero of Time and his wife, Malon.

She didn't know if it was right, but she continued to raid the bedroom. She found baby's toys, Malon's diary, and a rather large patch in the wall. Curious, she ran her fingers along the edge of it. Finding a space in the crack that she could fit her fingers into, she pulled it with all her might, and it gave way.

Inside, she found a secret ladder. She considered calling out for Link, but she didn't. Climbing the ladder, she emerged in what looked like the roof. Sneezing from the dust, she noticed a covered skylight in the roof. Walking over to it, she pushed it open, breathing in the fresh air. The light flodded the room, and illuminated almost every inch of it. It wasn't until now that she discovered what she had stumbelled upon.

It seemed like this was where the Hero of Time had stored his weapons. There were shields hung on the walls, along with various weapons, such as bows, a grappling hook, and something that looked like a spring-loaded chain. There were a few other things hanging on the wall, that Zelda discovered to be masks. Zelda walked over to them, and picked one up.

It was strange. Zelda expected it to crumble under her fingertips, but it was a strong as the day it was made, if not a little dusty. Taking it over to the light, she examined it closely. It was a mask of a Zora. Putting it back on it's hook, Zelda continued to look around.

Over in the corner of the room, there was a small chest. It was locked with a padlock. Zelda placed her hand over the lock, and heard it click open. Smirking with satisfaction, she lifted the lid off. At least she could do simple little charms like that.

Inside the chest, she found golden tokens. Picking one of them up, she examined it. She recognised the design as a Golden Skulltula. Yet another beast that the hero of Time had fought. Though, judging by the transcriptsthat had been written, he had hunted them. It was unclear just how many he had killed, but he had killed at least one hundred, freeing the cursed family in Kakariko.

Closing the chest, she decided that she would move on. Going to the last chest in the room, she opened it. It was full of different weapons and peculiar instruments. Picking one up, she examined it. It was like a seed, but larger. It was split open in the middle, exposing a shiny yellow orb inside. She made to place it back in the chest, but it rolled off the edge of her hands, and hit the ground. There was a _crack_, and the room was lit up with a blinding light for a few seconds.

Zelda crouched there for a few seconds. It appeared that Link did not hear the noise, as he was not calling out to her. Pulling her thoughts together, she picked up another of the strange items in the chest. This time, she pulled out a small crystal. Lying in the chest, it had a fiery orange and red centre. As soon as her hands touched it, it turned into a deep blue.

Stunned, Zelda thought about what the Hero of Time would have used it for, and the centre turned a deep, forest green. Zelda had a theory, and tried something.

She thought of fire, and the centre once again became red. She than thought of somewhere she'd like to be, and it turned green. She then thought about how much she wanted to be safe, and it turned blue.

That confirmed her theory. This was most definately the Crystal of the Goddesses, containing Din's Fire, Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love. There was no telling how many times this powerful magic had saved the Hero's life. She was tempted to keep it, but her riding gown had no pockets. She placed it back in the chest, along with the other objects.

Also in the chest, she found something that she was familiar with. A quiver full of arrows. Examining one of them, she walked back over to the bow hanging on the wall. Carefully, she picked it up, and notched the arrow. It was easy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like a target. Turning fully, she aimed for it. Drawing back the string, turning it at an angle, she let the arrow go. It went soaring through the air, and into the bullseye. Zelda grinned. She had found a weapon that she was taking back to the castle.

She decided to continue to raid the chest. There were other such instruments, such as boomerangs, slingshots, bombs, a very heavy hammer, a set of boots with a very heavy iron sole, and another set of boots that had a golden sole with wings protruding from the heel.

Zelda heard a scream coming from outside. Grabing the bow and arrows, she jumped down the ladder, took the steps two at a time, and rushed out to where the scream had come from. What she saw, however, was not her friends being mauled by some vicious monster, but the man that was, until very recently, a stone statue.

"What did you do?" Zelda asked, amazed. She walked over to the man, and studied him, much to his annoyance.

"I?" the man raged, "I did nothing! I was simply watching a giant wave of light search the land, and then all of you lot appeared!"

"She means me, idiot." Zel said, annoyed, "I don't know what I did. I think I just ran my hand over where his heart is. Or should I say, should be." She added, throwing the man a dirty look. Zelda was hit by the reality of what Zel had just said.

"You mean, that all our research for the last year and a half was wasted?" Zelda asked, incredulous, "All we had to do was touch their chests?" Zel looked at Zelda, wide eyed. Zelda cast a glance at Link. He was standing a little away from the angry man, examining him.

"What is your name, Sir?" Zelda asked the awakened man. He looked at her for a few moments, before he realised who she was. He grew a green tinge to his face, and hurriedly dropped to his knees.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! I, Ingo, have committed a terrible treason! I knew of your father's asassination, having met several Gerudos on their way to the castle. I did not think that they were serious, so I let them go!"

"Calm down, Mr Ingo." Zelda cooed, waiting for the man to calm himself, "You have been punished enough. Listen to me. Stand up." Ingo stood fearfully, "All has not been well over the years. I am not the Zelda you know. I am, however, her descendant, and therefore Princess of Hyrule. Hyrule has been in a deep slumber for many centuries now, and we are just beginning to awaken it."

Ingo stood there, doing a perfect impersonation of a fish. It took a few moments, but it came. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he fainted.

* * *

**Well, I'm gonna leave it at that for now. I'm tired, my throat hurts, and my thumb kills! (I jammed it in the door. Smart, huh?)**

**Thankyou to all my lovely reviewers! Review again, please!**


	25. FIRE!

**This is the latest installment of the saga! (gets hit on the head with a frying pan) Fine! If you don't wanna read it, don't!**

**Joking, people! Read and Review! **

**

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**FIRE!**

Zelda had Link and Linn move Ingo inside, and had Zel search for any other people on the ranch. Zelda was back up in the attic-room, trying to figure out what to do with the weapons.

They were too bulky to carry. Zelda could not see any way to take them with them back to the castle.

Frowning, she left the building, in search of Link. She found him in the stables, trying to calm a psychotic Ingo. Getting his attention, she took him outside, leaving Linn to deal with the raging man.

"Link," she said, "I've discovered a secret room in the roof of the main building. It full of all sorts of weapons. I need you to come and have a look at them, and help me decide what to do."

"You found weapons?" Link asked, intrigued, as he followed her, "When?"

"Almost as soon as we got here," Zelda opened the secret crack again, having closed it when she left, "I was going through it almost the whole time."

"Up here?" Link eyed the somewhat rickety ladder with uncertainty. He didn't like the idea of them going up that ladder.

"Yes, up there." Zelda said, knowing what he was thinking, "You worry too much, Link. Come on. If you're that worried about it, hold the ladder while I climb up." Zelda reached for the first rung of the ladder, and hoisted herself up. Link watched her climb, and decided that he was, despite all his misgivings, very curious as to what lay up there. As Zelda pulled herself up, he took hold of the second rung, being able to reach that high.

Exactly one second after the skirts of Zelda's riding gown disappeared through the hole into the room, Link heard a blood curling scream. He vaulted himself up the ladder, to emerge on the landing. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Angahim had Zelda draped arcoss his arms in front of him. Zelda looked to be unconscious, or under some sort of spell. Her hair had falled out of her headress, and her hat lay on the floor where she had dropped it.

Angahim laughed an ear-splitting cackle, and sent a blast of evil magic at Link. Link went soaring through the air, and into the wall which the shields hung on. There was a clang of metal, as the wall colapsed, and the entire roof came down with it. There was a dangerous creak in the house. Link couldn't even move. He was pinned underneath a beam that was supporting the ceiling.

Where Angaahin stood with Zelda, however, there was no debris. He had used his dark powers to create a forcefield around himself, sheltering him from any harm. He clicked his fingers, and a nearby bit of the thatched roof ignited in flames. Angahim laughed as he diappeared in a flash.

The flames spread quickly. Link would not have been able to get out, even if he were not pinned by the large piece of wood. He was far too close to passing out. He heard a woman's voice call out.

"Linn? Link? Zelda? Where are you?"

"I'm up here!" Link called with his last breath, unsure if she had heard him or not. He then passed out. The last thing he saw was a pile of wood colapse when it began burning.

**AT THE BACK OF THE RANCH**

Zel was searching through the last construction for any people. She was just about to turn to leave, when she heard a scream. Rushing out the door, she got outside just in time to hear a lound _crash_, as something collided with lots of metal. She had no idea what was going on.

She raced to the building in time to see it's roof colapse, and heard the scaffolding creak. It was going to implode in on itself!

Frantic, Zel called out for anyone.

"Linn? Link? Zelda? Where are you?" She called at the top of her lungs.

"Right here, Zel." Linn came up behind her. At that moment, the entire house burst into flames.

"Where's Link and Zelda?" Zel asked, frantic. As she spoke, there was a faint call from atop the building.

"I'm up here!"

Zel began to panic even more. Linn was already taking off anything that would catch alight easily. He dropped his hat, his sword belt, and his sheath in the pile he was leaving behind.

"Stay here!" He called as he entered the fire, "I'll find them!"

Zel stood there, silently panicing. she had no idea what to do. Trying to calm herself, she stood perfectly still, and closed her eyes. She slipped out of her bady, and her spirit went into the fire, searching for anyone in there.

**IN THE BARN**

Linn was so sick of Ingo, that he punched him to knock him out. He dropped immeadiately.

He was climbing to the top of the barn, to be out of harms way when Ingo woke up. He almost lost his balance when he heard a woman scream. Listening hard, he tried to identify the owner of the scream. Sitting there, in a sort of trance, he heard the unmistakable sound of a shield and something colliding. Possibly a body.

He climbed up through the skylight, and emerged on teh roof, just in time to see Zel shout.

"Linn? Link? Zelda? Where are you?" Linn dropped to the ground behind her.

"Right here, Zel." Linn said, drawing her attention as the roof burst into flames.

"Where's Link and Zelda?" Linn could see that Zel was panicing. He wasn't so calm himself. He just knew how to handle a crisis.

"I'm up here!" Linn heard a faint call from the centre of the flames. He did not hesitate for a second. He recalled the advice that his uncle gave him once, when his parents had died in a fire. Remove everything that could easily catch, and be perceptive. Everything removed, he leapt into the fire, calling back to Zel.

"Stay here! I'll find them!" He leapt into the house, and the room had already caught. It was amazing how fast the house caught. He wished freverantly that the people of this world had more sense and had built their houses out of stone.

He tore around the bottom floor, trying to find a way to the top while avoiding the flames. He felt an aura in the house. It was not, however, malevolent, as most auras are in his experiences. It was quite the opposite. The presence was Zel's spirit, leading him the right way.

Following the presence, he made his way to the top, and found that it was the worst of all. He was being drawn to the worst part of the fire, where it was almost as hot as a kiln. There, in the centre, he saw a hand. He was amazed that it wasn't burnt black. A plank of wood near the body collapsed, revealing a face. The skin hadn't blistered yet, but he could tell that Zel's magic could only last so far. There was no other explanation.

Grabbing his hand, Linn pulled Link out from underneath the crumbling heap. As he slid out, surprisingly easily, the pile collapsed. Linn hoisted Link up on his back, and felt Zel's presence leave them. She had run out of energy for her spell. He was on his own. He tried to go back down the way he had come, but found that it had collapsed.

Frantically looking around, he tried to find any means of escape. In the end, he had no choice. He had to jump, and pray that they both survived.

Whispering a prayer to Hyrule's shared Goddesses, Linn jumped.

**OUTSIDE**

Zel came back to her body in a rush, leaving Linn to get Link out alive. She was worried, but she had complete faith in him.

Out of the flames, she saw a rather large something fall. She raced over to the lump, to find that it was Linn and Link. She turned Linn over, to make sure he was still alive. He had looked pretty dead when his head hit the ground.

Neither of the men were conscious. She had known that Link wasn't conscious, but she had held on to her hope that Linn would be. Ingo chose that moment to emerge from the barn.

"Where is that little..." He saw the house on fire, "What in the name of the Goddesses happened? Talon, Malon!"

"They aren't in there!" Zel screeched, trying to drag Linn out of the fire's path, "Help me, you fool! Before they die!" Ingo looked at the two unconscious forms of the men, and helped Zel drag them into the cart that had been readied for a milk delivery in the past, before Hyrule was frozen. Zel raced to the paddock, and took the reins of the four horses that had come with them.

It took her and Ingo several minutes, but they managed to harness three of the horses to the carriage safely. Suddenly, the fire caught onto the barn, and the horses were terrified.

"Make for the castle!" Zel yelled, moutning the remaining horse, "I'll follow!"

The cart went as fast as it was possible to go. It cleared the fire easily, and raced on toward the castle, Zel close behind on her mount. They did not stop. They pushed the horses until they reached the castle gates.

Zel gave a shrill whistle. Out from the castle came the soldiers, calling for the doctors. Within a few minutes, the unconscious men were in the hospital wing, and Zel and Ingo were being checked out by the physician. Once Zel and Ingo were found to have not sufferred any injuries, the doctors set themselves to treating various broken bones and burns on Link and Linn.

Ingo was taken to some temporary quarters, but Zel refused to leave the hospital. She had not realised, until she had just lost him, that she cared deeply for Linn, and she wanted to be there when she woke up. Taking their red, burnt hands in hers, she sent a soothing spell to the both of the men, trying to stop the nerves twitching in their bodies.

Zel conferred with several doctors. It was unlikely that either of them would survive their ordeal, and even if they did, they would more than likely never be the same again. They would have permanent scars all over them, and would probably suffer permanent mental scarring, due to the large volumes of smoke that they had inhaled.

**IN THE EVIL REALM**

Angahim materialised with Zelda in Ganondorf's anteroom. He did not know that his welcome would not be warm.

"You fool!" Ganondorf roared, throwing a spear at Angahim's head, "You weren't supposed to hurt the Hero of Time! Do you know what you've done?"

"No." Angahim stood defiant, "What did I do, besides bring you Princess Zelda?"

"You almost killed my best warrior!" Ganondorf roared once more, "You'll be lucky if Dark Link survives! If he dies, you die!"

"I don't think so." Angahim cackled as he dematerialised again. Ganondorf, out of frustration, demolished a pillar with his magic, fixed it, then demolished it again. He continued on this rampage until he had relieved himself of some of his stress. He needed to get out of there.

* * *

**Read and Review, please! I wanna hear from you! Questions andcomments are welcome! Flames will be used to cook my dinner. Hehe!**


	26. All Tied Up

**Hey, all of my lovely reviewers! As of now I shall be reciting the name of every single reviewer that left me a review at the end of the last chapter! So, if you wanna see your name up here, then drop me a line!**

**Here are the precious people who left me a comment at the end of chapter 25:**

**_anime/videogame freak_**

**_Kaenryu_**

**_blondie91_**

**_badgirl93_**

**_Bridget_**

**Well that, I'm sorry to say, is it. From now on, I wanna spend more than thirty seconds writing names! Also, I have a few stories that I would like for you to R&R listed at the bottom of the page. Please at least look at it!**

_

* * *

_

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**All Tied Up**

Zel sat by Linn and Link's side, never giving up hope that they would awaken. It was a week since the fire, and the two of them had steadily deteriorated in their conditions. Zel feared that she would lose Linn, after so long of being without him back home.

The rest of Hyrule, however, were mourning the loss of their Princess. No one had seen her since the fire, and she was presumed dead. Guards and scouts had been sent out to the ranch when the fire had finally burnt out, searching for the Princess's remains. They did not even find a single charred bone.

Zel had a sneaking suspicion that Link would be able to tell them what had happened to Zelda. He was probably there when Zelda disappeared, and was probably atacked for that reason. No one agreed with Zel, though. They said that it was impossible that Zelda was not in the house, since there was no force out there that was strong enough to teleport a fully grown woman.

Zel did not even turn around when the door to the hospital wing opened. She felt a warm hand resting on her shoulder. Finally turning, she came face-to-face with the human incarnation of the Water Sage. Ruto was gazing sorrowfully at the still forms of the two men on the beds.

"What are you doing here?" Zel demanded, shrugging Ruto's hand off, "You don't belong here."

"I came to tell you," Ruto took a deep breath, "that Nabouru and I are taking them to the outside world. It's their only chance. The doctors out there can help them." Zel felt as if her heart had stopped. She was about to protest, but then realised that it was in their best interests. Zel hung her head.

"When?" The word escaped Zel's mouth before she realised she was going to speak.

"In the morning," Ruto said, her eyes never leaving Link's face, "Nabouru and I are bringing a car into Hyrule. We will be driving up to the castle and taking them. You can come if you want." Zel thought about it. She didn't feel right about leaving Hyrule defenceless, but this one wasn't really her home. But they had taken her in, and not tossed her in the cells for twenty years, even if they did in the first place. But that wa a mistake, and it had been quickly corrected.

Zel was torn. She wanted with all her heart to go with Linn and Link, but she felt that, since no one else seemed capable, she should try to find Princess Zelda. Zel sat in silence for several minutes. She decided that, in the morning, she would go on one of her out-of-body experiences and search for Zelda, much like she did in the fire. If she could find Zelda, then she would search for her. If not, then she would go to the outside world.

"Let me think about it." Zel said, trying not to sound too torn over it.

**EVIL REALM**

Ganondorf was still not in a pleasnt mood. Dark Link's condition had deteriorated steadily in the last week, and they did not have the proper treatment in the Evil Realm. So, they had to rely on the people in the Light Realm to keep Link alive. Ganondorf hated to think that his triumph depended on whether or not Link, his arch enemy, lived or died.

"My Lord," A moblin came to Ganondorf, "You have a messenger waiting for you in the hall." Ganondorf grunted, and gestured with his hand to bring him in.

"Ganondorf," A strong voice boomed, "it is not normally common for the Sage of Light to appear in the Evil Realm, but I feel that it is an extreme case." Ganondorf could not believe that Rauru, the wise Sage of Light, would be here, talking to him like a civilised human being.

"What business do you have in these lands, Sage?" Ganondorf demanded, eying the small weapon that Rauru held. It was small, but it would be effective. Especially in his weakened state.

"What has become of Angahim?" Rauru was not one to beat around the bush. He was straight forward, and got right to the point, always.

"I do not know." Ganondorf spat, "But what business is it of your's?" Rauru arched one of his eyebrows, as if Ganondorf were an idiot.

"Well, considering that he has our Princess..." He said, waving his hand in an offhand way, "I'd say it's of dire improtance that I know, don't you?"

"If I knew, I would not be here. I would be personally hunting him down, wouldn't I?" Ganondorf looked Rauru in the eyes. This was one of the few times that he would tell the truth to anyone that opposed him. It was up up to Rauru to believe him or not.

"Very well." Rauru sighed, and disapparated. Ganondorf threw a glass cup at the spot where he stood.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Zel came back to her body in an instant. She had scoured all of Hyrule, and had found Zelda. But the presence was week, and Zel couldn't find a specific location. She was somewhere in Kakariko, that was all she knew. Zel would have to find her quickly, or something terrible might befall her.

She entered the hospital wing, and took Linn's hand.

"I'm sorry that I'm not going with you." She whispered to him, "But I need to find out what happened to Zelda. I hope you wont be mad at me." And with that, she let his hand drop, and left the room.

**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

Zel finished packing her rucksack, and was about to set out. She was dressed in one of Linn's tunics, with one of Link's white leggings and a pair of Zelda's boots. She was dressed appropritaley for an expedition. Her thigh length, light brown hair was braided down her back, to keep it out of her way.

She passed Nabouru on her way out. She grabbed Zel's arm, and pulled her to a stop.

"You know where she is, don't you?" Nabouru asked. Zel nodded.

"I have the vague area, but I don't know specifically." Zel sighed, "I'm gonna go there, and see if I can find some clues as to her whereabouts. I might be a while, but I swear I'm going to find her!"

"I believe you." Nabouru said, and slipped a magnifying glass into her hand, "That's why I'm giving you this. I found it in the ruins of the ranch the other day. Look through it when you need to see the truth." And then she departed, going up towards the castle.

Zel jumped as a van came racing past her. Zel, however, didn't know what it was, and actually didn't really care. Ignoring the strange phenomenon, she began to trek through the field.

**LATER**

It took the better half of a day to reach the village. It seemed really close when you walked out the gate, but Zel was on foot for the journey. Once she reached the stairs, she plopped down and ruffled through her bag. She pulled out an apple, and watched the clouds drift lazily past the sun. It was hard to believe that she was in such a troubled state.

Sighing, she picked herself up, and walked over to the freshwater river a little further towards the castle. Refilling her canteen, and splashing her face, she walked back over to the stairs. Picking up her rucksack, she re-adjusted the bandanna that held her hair out of her place, and began to climb the stairs.

Zel's breath was stolen out of her lungs when she emerged at the top of the stairs. She had never seen such a sight.

The entire village looked like a massacre scene. The blood of the dead and dying had permanently stained the grass, giving it a rusty hue. The ground was dry, but it still held the stench of the decaying blood, as if it was spilled a week before. Zel screwed up her face, as if someone had put dog's droppings under her nose, and asked her to smell it.

Her feet crunched the grass underfoot, as she explored the villiage. She entered every house, and checked every shed, yard, outhouse, or anything that wasn't destroyed by the battle. Even still, she did not find Zelda. Nor did she find any other signs of life.

Eventually, the only place that Zel hadn't searched was the graveyard. It was one place that Zel would refuse to go. She had a fear of ghosts appearing in front if her and attacking her. Zel steeled her courage, and walked into the middle of the graveyard.

Compared to the ones that were back home, it was absurdly small. She wandered through the graves, reading random tombstones and muttering various prayers to honour the dead. Eventually, she came across a giant tombstone, and read the passage. It was the tomb of the Royal Family.

There was a peculiar sign dug into the ground at her feet. She took a step back, and realised that it was the symbol of the Royal Family. It stirred a warm feeling inside her, and she began to hum a familiar tune under her voice. It had a soothing effect on her, and eventually, she broke out with the words.

_"Long ago,_

_in a world so new,_

_slept a fair_

_maiden,_

_in her bed._

_With a heart_

_of pure golden hue,_

_she dreamt of_

_her love._

_She called him back_

_into her arms_

_and there he did stay_

_'till morn'._

_On that day,_

_so long ago,_

_that girl's heart did break._

_On that day,_

_so long ago,_

_a man's life was took._

_His soul called her,_

_from across the sea,_

_and held her in his_

_warm embrace."_

Zel's voice faded as the song ended. It was one of her childhood favourites, and still it could send her too sleep. It was a song that she sung when she was afraid, and almost always got her out of a tight spot with her father.

There was a rumble in the sky, and a storm cloud appeared over the graveyard. There was a strike of lightining, and Zel covered her head in fear. There was a miniature explosion, and a hole appeared where the tombstone stood. Afraid, Zel tried to collect her breath.

Zel weighed up her situation. She had a feeling that she could get a lot of questions answered if she could muster up her courage to jump down that hole. She leaned over the edge, and tried to see the bottom. She could not see it. She picked up a rock, and dropped it down into the pitch-black.

It took five seconds before she heard anything. She slowly backed up from the hole, and ran into something solid.

Zel was afraid to turn around. She felt a cold, calloused hand run itself down her cheek, and recognised the gesture. Zel spun around.

She came face-to-face with her nightmare. Angahim. He grabbed hold of her arm, and held her tightly. She could feel the coldness of his touch in every part of her body, freezing her like ice.

"Foolish girl." Angahim snickered, "You came here thinking to find Zelda, but all you will find is your own doom!" And then he picked her up, and dropped her in the hole.

Just before she was completely underground, she grabbed ahold of the ledge, and tried to pull herself up. It was a wasted effort, for all Angahim had to do was tread on her fingers, and she was sent plummeting towards the bottom of the tomb. She hit the gorund with a muffled _thump_.

"You will forever rot here, with the undead!" Angahim cackled, and covered the opening, and therefore, eliminating her only source of light. Zel had no idea what to do. She panicked.

* * *

**Whatever will happen? All of our heroes or heroines are in some sort of trouble. If you are confused, hereare their current situations:**

**_Link_ Hospital in the outside world**

**_Linn_ Hospital in the outside world**

**_Zelda_ Kidnapped by Angahim/missing**

**_Zel_ Trapped in the Royal Family's tomb**

**Ok, I just wanna clear up something: THAT SONG WAS TO THE TUNE OF ZELDA'S LULLABY! I came up with it when I was half asleep. Actually, I wrote the whole thing when I was half asleep... Oh well! Review! Then you will see your name up in lights!**

**Also! I have a few stories that I would like for you to read and review:**

_The Legend of Zelda: The Mercernaries Mark_, by anime/vidoegame freak

_Sea Flower,_ by Kariah

_Under The Hyrulian Moon,_ also by Kariah

**You will find all three in my Favourites list. And here are the other ones of mine I would like to ask you to read:**

_A Strange Reuniting_

_A Tale of Love_

_For A Rainy Day_

_Bad Days Get Worse_

**I would be so thakful if you read them!**


	27. A Royal Grave

**Hi! I would like to take the time to acknowledge the great people that reviewed Chapter 26. And they are:**

**_Kaenryu_**

**_Ri2_**

**_Bridget_**

**_blondie91_ (REVIEWER 100! WHOO HOO!)**

_**Sheik's twin**_

**Now I understand that some people's computers screw up, so I'll let it slide, but I wanna see MORE reviews. OK people? OK! Now, read and rejoice! Wait... It's read and review! Yeah, that's it! Read and review!**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**A Royal Grave**

Zel leaned against the wall in the pitch-black, terrified. She was deathly afraid of the dark. It was made even worse due to the moaning and groaning that could be heard echoing around her.

Zel had two options. She could either use her magic to light up the room, or she could sit alone in the dark and wet herself with fear. Examining the two opitions, the latter seemed less appealing. She closed her eyes, and clicked her fingers. She could see the bright light throught the lid of her eyes, but she didn't open them.

It was strange. All the noises had stopped, and the only thing that she could hear was hear own breathing. She cautiously opened her eyes, and screamed.

There, looming right in front of her, was the ghost of a woman. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, a long, lacey white dress, and stood regally, a diamond-encrusted golden tiara resting on her head. The perfect vision of purity and innocence. Zel fell to her knees in front of the awe-inspiring vision.

"Stand _up_, Zel." The apparation spoke in frustrated tone. She stood obediently, but kept her head down. She closed her eyes, and felt a cold hand on her shoulder. When she opened them, she saw Zelda looking her in the face. She blinked. Surely the vision of purity was not one of her imaginings?

And when she looked closely at Zelda, she noticed that the only thing missing from the vision was the aura of light that seemed to surrounded her. She still wore the same, regal garments, the same tiara, and even stood the same way. There was little doubt in Zel's mind that she was standing face-to-face with Zelda Hilyan, Princess of Hyrule. Yet the facial expressoin was different.

"What happened, Zelda?" Zel blurted out, seeing the tear tracks that lined her cheeks.

"He -- Angahim -- He --" Zelda spluttered, "He locked me in here. I woke up in here!" Zelda dropped to the ground and began to cry again.

"He did that to me when he kept me prisioner in the castle." Zel said simply, "Locked me up, he did. I couldn't get out till Linn rescued me." She had tried so hard to repress the memories for so long, but it was impossible. He had scared her forever.

"Do you know the way out?" Zelda asked, breaking the akward silence that had befallen them. Zel pointed up. Zelda's eyes followed the direction in which she was pointing, and saw the covered hole in what was now the roof.

"Oh." Was all she said, then she brightened, "Well, there is another way. I found it on the way here. I'll show you where it is." Zelda led Zel through the next room, to a chamber just before where the burial chambers were. She pulled a secret lever, and a wall sprang open, revealing a secret pathway.

"Where does it go?" Zel asked, eyeing the path with uncertainty. It was way too dark to see anything, and there was an old musty smell to it. She did not like it at all.

"Look," Zelda said, as if reading her mind, "It's either we take a chance and go in here, or we wait and die here of suffocation or starvation, whichever comes first."

"Well," Zel said, clearly upset, "When you put it that way... I vote we take the path and see where it leads us." Zelda nodded and, without a word, they stepped into the dark corridoor.

**LATER**

Zelda and Zel had been walking for hours, possibly even days, and they still could not find the way out. They rounded corner after corner, following the stone passageway through the underground.

"Zelda," Zel said, holding out the magical flame that she had been holding, "I can't hold it anymore, you take it." Zelda held out her hand, and Zel tipped the fire into the palm of her right hand. It continued to burn steadily. They had been doing this, to use their magic to keep the flame alight, for ages.

"Is that a light over there?" Zelda asked suddenly, pointing towards what appeared to be a pinprick in the disance.

"I don't know..." Zel trailed off, and they both unconscoiusly sped up a little bit. The pinprick gradually got bigger, and they sped up even more.

"It is!" Zelda exclaimed, and it was all either of them could do not to break out in a sprint towards the light. It grew bigger and bigger with every step, and soon they felt the cool, night breeze on their hot, sweay faces, and were breathing in all the fresh air that the world had to offer them.

It was Zelda who first took any notcie of their surroundings. They were in some form of a miniature oasis, hidden deep in the forest. Zelda had passed this space before, and knew exactly where they were.

"Lets stay here for the night." Zelda suggested, "We can make a fire and I'll kill us something to eat?" Zel nodded, excited. Despite their situation, she was anticipating her first night camping.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

Zel bolted up. She had somehow forgotten to tell Zelda about what had happened to the guys when she was gone. It weighed heavily on her conscious, and she decided that she would tell Zelda as soon as she woke up.

She got up, walked throught the trees, over to the little pond, and splashed some water on her face, clearing the sleep from her eyes. When she got back to the fire, Zelda was up, and tendning to it.

"Zelda..." Zel trailed off, "There's something that you need to know..." Zelda looked up.

"What is it?" Zelda sounded afraid. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Well..." Zel trailed off, now sure how to word it, "How should I say this?"

"Just spit it out." Zelda said, anxious, "Don't sugarcoat it."

"OK..." Zel readied herself, "After Angahim knocked you out, I'm guessing that's how you wouldn't know, he started a fire in the house. The entire ranch burnt to the ground. Everything in it was destroyed."

"That's no too bad..." Zelda looked thoughtful, but Zel hadn't finished.

"Listen to me." Zelda shut up, and brought her attention to Zel's story, "Link was trapped inside the house. No, come on, don't zone out on me, let me finish. He was pinned under a beam from the ceiling, from when Angahim knocked it down. We didn't know where he was, and then we heard him call out from the top of the building. By then it was burning rapidly. Come on, Zelda, stay with me..." Zelda had begun to cry. She thought that Link was dead.

"Why did Angahim want me?" Zelda demanded, shaking her head, "Why did he hurt us like this?"

"Listen Zelda... It's alright, for now. Linn got him out." Zelda looked up hopefully, "But it's not looking good for either of them. They both might not make it, and even if they do, they're minds might have been damaged." Zelda broke down again, "But Nabouru and Ruto took them to a 'hospital' in the 'Outside World', what ever that is."

"It doesn't matter..." Zelda weeped, "The doctors there can only do so much. If the burns are too bad, then they'll just pump 'em foll of morphene... and... and..." Zelda began to cry even more hysterically. She could not finish that sentence, for fear that it would ring true.

"You know about the 'Outside World'?" Zel was astonished. She should have been comforting Zelda, but she desperately wanted to know about the place that they had taken Linn. To her surprise, Zelda giggled.

"Yes," She was now laughing, "That's where Link and I are from!" And now it wasn't just laughter. She was wiping tears out of her eyes. Zel wasn't sure if they were tears of laughter, or tears of sadness.

"Oh." Was all that Zel could say. How could she be laughing? The ones that they loved were almost dying, and she was laughing! There was something wrong with the woman. She needed to be admitted to an asylum.

When Zelda stopped laughing, she became thoughtful and contemplative. Zel couldn't even to begin to think of anything that Zelda could be thinking of. After a few minutes, Zelda stood up. Zel eyed her curiously.

"Come on, Zel, let's go." Zel nodded, and, without a word, they extinguished the fire completely, and threw the rocks away, covering the charred area of ground with dirt and leaves. There was no trace of them ever being there. When their work was done, they began to trek through the forest.

**LATER**

Zelda had led Zel to Kokiri Village, on the outskirts of the forest. Zel looked around at the ruins.

"What is this place?" Zel breathed, "What happened?"

"This is Kokiri Village," Zelda explained in a whisper, "It was attacked by Dark Link and his cronies last year." Zel looked around nervously.

Zelda passed through the village, and into the lost woods. She knew where the Kokiri were, and how to get there. Zel followed her closely, sensing the strong magic that pulsated from this place.

After about an hour of trekking on no apparent path, they emerged in what was known as the Sacred Forest Meadow. Zel looked around, and it cost her. She has hit in the side by something. Hard. And it _hurt_!

Zel was brought to her senses rather rudely. She looked around, and saw Zelda hiding in a crevase of the rock walls, motioning for her to hurry up. Zel ran to the opening, and gasped at what had been etched into the stone.

"The Kokiri carved this so they wouldn't have to keep getting attacked by the Deku sprouts. Zelda explained, and began to climb the stone steps. Zel followed at the same brisk pace. They emerged on top of a maze. however, to stop themselves from getting lost, they had simply built bridges across the walls, making it an almost straight path. Zel marvelled at their craftmanship.

On the other side, there was a ladder, and then another staircase. This staircase, however, was overgrown with moss and vines, and you could hardly see the original marble blocks. The next thing they came across was what looked like a little market. There were miniature stalls, with things like rare berries or dried flowers , or even animal pelts. That in itself was remarkable, but perhaps the people that lined the street was what surprised Zel even more.

They were all children. Every single one of them. It kind irked Zel out a little bit.

"Where are all the adults?" Zel asked, incredulous. Zelda smiled warmly at a few of the little girls that stopped to curtsey them.

"There are no adults." Zelda walked calmly as you please through the swarm of children.

"So all these children are orphans?"

"No." Zelda looked at her like she was crazy, "Do you think I'd let orphans wander around the forest? Of course not! The Kokiri are a child race. They are the Forest's Children. They know no birth, nor do they see any death. The only thing that they know of is this forest, and that they will disappear forever if they leave." Zel was amazed.

"Princess Zelda!" A sing-song voice floated from over all of the others. Both girls turned to the one that had caled their name. They set eyes on a small girl with gren hair. Saria.

"Ah... There you are." Zelda smiled, honeying up her voice, "Saria, I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"

"Depends on what it is..." She cocked her head, and Zel smiled. She surely every bit as wise as she had been assured.

"We need you to contact Nabouru or Darunia. Whoever's free." Zelda pleaded, "I wanted you to tell them to come and get Zel and I, and to bring some extra clothes with them. Please, Saria?" Saria seemed to think about it.

"Alright." She agreed, "Right now?"

"Please?"

Saria disappeared in a green flash, but very few people took any notice. After about five minutes, she reappeared with a large bundle in her hands. She handed them to Zelda.

"Nabouru will be here as quickly as she can. She sent these. Put them on now." She said, sadness twinkling in her eyes, "If Link wakes up, tell him that I wish him a full recovery." Zelda nodded, and Saria led them to a large building. She took them trough the long corridors, and they came to an empty room.

"Change here." was all that Saria said. Zelda grabbed her arm as she turned to go.

"Thank you." Saria nodded.

"I'll come and get you when they arrive." Zelda nodded.

* * *

**Will Link and Linn even be alive when Zelda and Zel make it to their destination? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out!**

**Now, review, and I'll acknowledge you in the next chapter. How's that for incentive. Questions and comments are welcome. I'll answer any that are answer worthy in the next chapter, OK? I mean it!**


	28. Going Outside

**Hi! I don't have much to say, except thankyou to the following:**

**_harrypotterfan_**

_**Ri2**_ _(You will find out next chapter)_

_**blondie91** (Hehe, thats ok! I was debating whether of not to put it in or not, anyway)_

**_HmFreak_**

**_Sheik's twin_**

**If there is some writing in brackets next to your name, then it is my reasponse to your review.**

**Oh, I have one more favour to ask. PLEASE R&R THE FOLLOWING STORIES:**

_The Legend of Zelda: The Mercernaries Mark_** by anime/vidoegame freak**

_Sea Flower_** by Kariah**

_Under The Hyrulian Moon_** also by Kariah**

**You will find all three in my Favourites list. And here are the other ones of mine I would like to ask you to read:**

_A Strange Reuniting_

_A Tale of Love_

_For A Rainy Day_

_Bad Days Get Worse_

**I would be so thakful if you read them!**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**Going Outside**

Zelda looked at the clothes indifferently, but Zel was opposed to wearing them altogether. They were both the same size as Nabouru, so it was likely that she had sent her own clothes.

Zelda changed as soon as Saria closed the door behind them. She was now sitting and arguing with Zel to change into her own outfit.

"But it looks too revealing!" Zel protested, eying the clothes that Zelda was wearing. She had on a purple sleveless, with dark blue hip-hugger jeans, a sequin belt that matched her top, and black sandals. Zelda had also run a hairbrush, that she had borrowed from a Kokiri girl, through her hair and tied it up. She looked exactly like an average teenager.

"Your's is even less revealing!" Zelda was frustrated. Zel was becoming adamant that she would not wear the clothes.

"I don't care!" Zel huffed. Zelda was at the end of her rope.

"Look, Zel," she threatened, "If you want to come and see Linn, then you will have to wear it. You are not going to the outside world wearing a tunic. It would draw suspicion to us. You're not going unless you change." That seemed to get Zel moving.

With a grumble, Zel pulled off the tunic, leggings, and boots. She was left shivering in her underwear. Zelda giggled, and stood up to help her.

"Arms up." Zelda instructed, and slipped the shirt over Zel's head. It was a pale blue off-the-shoulder number, and Zelda would have loved to wear it. Zelda tossed Zel her pair of light blue hip-hugger jeans, and turned away as she put them on. When she turned around, Zel had the jeans on, and was doing up a leather strap belt. Zelda smiled, and began to brush Zel's hair, braiding it down the middle.

"Happy now?" Zel spat, picking at the fabric, trying to pull it up onto her shoulders.

"Yes." Zelda said, pulling it down a bit. Zel shrugged it up again.

"Look, Zel," Zelda sighed, and pulled it off her shoulders again, "You have to wear it properly. You have to wear it off the shoulder. Zel, _don't_!" Zel had shrugged it up again. Zelda flung her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Fine! Look like an idiot! See if I care!" Zelda felt herself slipping back into her old persona. She was turning into the young woman that she was before any of this ever began. It felt weird, but not unnatural.

Nabouru took several hours to reach them. When she did, she was tired and irritable. She seemed to have been up for hours.

"Let's go." Nabouru barked, and the girls bid farewell to the Kokiri, "_Now_!" She was growing impatient. Both girls scurried behind her to keep up.

They reached the car in about half an hour. Zelda and Zel both sat in the back seat, Zelda explaining to Zel how to buckle her seatbelt. Zel was shifty and uncomfortable the whole way. The tension in the car was thick and contagious. It was when Zel was fighting the seatbelt for moving space, when Zelda snapped.

"Oh, for Goddess's sakes!" She shouted, scaring Zel, "Stop that fiddling around and _sit still_! You're driving me mad!" Zel sat perfectly silent.

**AFTER AN HOUR**

They pulled up in the hospital in silence. Nabouru had to help Zel unbuckle her seatbelt, seeing as Zelda refused to help her. They followed Nabouru through the halls and wards until they reached a closed door. Walking through the halls, Zelda could smell anticeptic and cleaning products. It served to remind her of how much she hated hospitals.

"He doesn't look too good, but at least he's awake." Nabouru warned them, and opened the door. There, sitting up on the bed, was Linn. He was the only occupant of the room.

"Zel! Zelda!" Linn said, surprised, "What are you two doing here?" It was obvious that the only thing that was going to stay with him forever was the scars. His flesh was red raw, and there were some marks from where he had been given a skin graft. Other than that, he seemed alright.

Zel ran up to him and took his burnt, raw hands. She began to cry, and blubber to him.

"Let's give them some time alone." Nabouru put a hand on Zelda's shoulder, and steered her out of the room. Zelda followed Nabouru down a series of hallways.

"Where is Link?" She demanded. She was getting impatient. Nabouru stopped at a desk in the middle of the ward.

"I'm here to see Link Spirtan, my son." Nabouru murmered to the lady behind the desk. The lady looked up the name on the computer.

"Ah, yes," She read off the sheet, "And this must be Zelda, his wife?" Zelda was about to say that they weren't married, but Nabouru cut her off.

"Yes. This is her." Zelda looked at her quizically, and Nabouru steeped on her foot. Zelda kept her mouth shut.

"I'm sorry, but only one of you can see him at a time." The lady looked more bored than sorry, "I'm going to have to ask who is going in there first."

"Zelda can." Nabouru said without hesitation, "I've already spent a few hours with him. I think its time she did. I'll just walk her over there, is that ok?"

"Yes, yes." The woman waved them away. Once they were out of earshot, Zelda spoke up.

"Why did you say that Link and I are married? You know we're not." Nabouru looked at Zelda incredulously.

"You wanna see him, don't you?" Zelda nodded, "Well, the hospital wont let you in there, unless you are a parent, sibling, or a spouse. I had to lie to get you in. Don't ever, _ever_, tell anyone that you aren't married. You'll have to explain it to Link when he wakes up."

"_If_." Zelda corrected her, "_If_ he wakes up." Nabouru scowled at her.

"Zelda! Don't think like that! Of course he'll wake up..." She assured her, "He has to." Zelda hung her head, and followed Nabouru meekly through the ward until they came to the 'intensive care' unit of the burns section. Zelda braced herself for something horrible, but was pleasntly surprised.

"It's quite remarkable that his burns weren't as extensive as Linn's," Nabouru said to Zelda, standing in the doorway, "But the damage from the smoke is also treated by the burns ward. Phsyically, he'll be ok, with only minor scarring, but they think his mind will never be the same. At best, it will be memory loss. He may not remember you when he wakes up." Zelda slowly walked into the room, and sat down.

She barely registered it when Nabouru closed the door. She simply sat there for a few minutes, with her eyes closed. Slowly, she reached out for his hand, and took it in her own. It was red-hot. Zelda would have likely been howling from the pain if she had sustained such injuries.

But, there he was, lying still enough to be dead. The only signs of life that you could see were his chest rising and falling with each breath, and the constant, steady beeping of the machine that monitored his heart.

Zelda looked first at his hands, and then her eyes slowly travelled up his body to finally rest on his face. There were a few distortions where his skin had begun to melt due to the heat, and every single hair on his head was burnt off. He looked completely different. Zelda would have denied that it was Link, had it not been for the Triforce symbol on his hand.

Zelda began to cry. She held his hand to her cheek, and she cried. She went on for hours. The nurses came in and out, and a few patted her arm with sympathy. Once it was dark, Zelda finally set her head on the bed, and fell asleep.

**HYRULE**

Impa was finally let out of the cell that she had been detained for the Goddesses only knew how long. It felt good not to be under an evil wizard's mind spells. Strolling through the castle, she noticed a definate sense of being subdued.

"What has happened?" Impa demanded of a servant that scurried past her. The small, frail woman looked at Impa as if she was reguarding a barinade.

"Princess Zelda went missing in a fire." The woman said in a strong voice, belieing her timid persona "In that same fire, Link was gravely injured. You have missed much, Lady Impa. Perhaps you should ask Rauru. He will be able to inform you of the goins-on in Hyrule." Impa stared after the woman as she walked off, gaping like a fish.

Abruptly, Impa came back to herself. She had to find out what had happened. Running to her chambers, she retrieved her weapons pouch, and made her way to the Temple. It wasn't until she reached the market that she realised that something was terribly wrong.

The Market was full of evil creatures. They were not ReDeads, thankfully. They were, quite possibly, worse than that. If that were even possible.

Iron Knuckles roamed the streets of Hyrule Castle Town, destroying everything in sight. The onl ything that they didn't touch were the statyes that used to be people, thank the Goddesses. Impa kept to the shadows, and crept her way towards the Temple of Time. Once she reached the courtyard, she realised that she had no choice but to fight.

She withdrew a Deku Nut from her small pouch, and blinded the dumb creature. It stumbelled for a few paces, then regained it's balance. Impa withdrew her throwing knives, and took aim.

She was still hidden in shadows, so she was safe. For a time, anyway.

She threw the knives at the big, bulky creature with expert aim, and managed to cut all the straps that held on it's body armour, revealing the undefended torso of the monster. With a few carefully aimed arrows, the creature was dead within a matter of seconds. Impa's way was now unobstructed.

She crept inot the Temple, closing and barricading the doors behind her. She did not want to take any chances. Walking up to the Altar of Time, she called upon Rauru, for the second, but not the last, time. He appeared before her in a flash of light.

**EVIL REALM**

"So, you have located Angahim?" Ganondorf demanded, somewhat expectantly. He was very disappointed with the answer.

"No. That would be near impossible." The stalfos quivered.

"Well, what are you doing wasting my time like this?" He roared.

"We have located Princess Zelda, Milord." Ganondorf was about to yell again, but the meaning of the statement struck him just in time.

"Where is she?" Ganondorf asked, voice dripping with poison.

"In the Outside World, Milord. She had only been there for a matter of hours so far." The Stalfos seemed to think that it was his lucky day.

"Very well." Ganondorf said thoughtfully, digesting this new information, "Organise a welcome party for her when she returns. This time, we can not fail."

* * *

**So! What did you lovely people think? Hit the purple button below, and let me know. Questions and comments are welcome!**


	29. The Travelling Curse

**Hey people! I just want to take the time to acknowledge the following people:**

**_blondie91, Ri2_ **_(I hope this answers your question)**, badgirl93, yeux-ombrages, anime/videogame freak, Sheik's twin, and Trixie'sBestFriend.**_

**To everyone else, please leave a review soon.

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter Twenty Nine

The Travelling Curse

There was a boom in the Kakariko graveyard. Impa made her way through the shadows, scanning the graveyard for any signs of life. Impa snorted, realising how ironic her objective was. To find life in a graveyard would be like trying to find a Goddess in the realm of mortals. Impa stayed quiet, and listened.

If Rauru hadn't told her to search here, she would have completely overlooked it. Focusing her thoughts, she watched as a scene unfolded before her very eyes.

**ALSO IN GRAVEYARD**

Angahim was livid. How could those snivelling little Princess Prats get out of an airtight tomb? He had checked every inch of it, but he must have, somehow, overlooked something. He roared uncomprehensible obscenities at the top of his lungs, and hurled a blast of dark magic at a nearby pillar. He stormed through the tomb at a brisk pace, and used his magic to jump out of the opening that he had pushed Zel into.

He emerged, and raised his arms. He began to mutter a magic spell. At first, it was a low murmer, then, it became a loud roar.

"Spirits of the Evil Realm! I call upon ye to seek out my prey!"

**ALSO IN GRAVEYARD**

Impa watched Angahim in fear. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her jaw had dropped. Angahim was calling upon the most powerful magic that it was thought anyone was able to possess.

"Spirits of the Evil Realm! I call upon ye to seek out my prey! I seek out the Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and her counterpart! Find them, and get _rid_ of them!"

Impa watched in horror. The bright orange ball of energy rose into the air, and sped off towards the forest. Impa pulled herself together, and transported herself to the new Kokiri Village.

**IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD**

"...and I should have just changed the bloody laws, Link. I'm so sorry. I had no idea how hard it would have been for us. I know that our relationship is in ruins, but I can only hope that you can forgive me." Was the first thing Link heard when he woke up. The woman's voice was very familiar. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Who are you?" His lips moved, but no sound came out. The woman didn't see him awaken, as she was staring at his hand. He felt her hot tears fall on the back of his hand, and squeezed hers. She looked up out of shock.

"Link?" She said in a shocked whisper. She reached out to his cheek, and felt the scarring there. He tried to smile at her, to reassure her that he was ok, but it seemed near impossible to do it. It hurt so much. The strange woman got up and ran out of the room.

A few minutes later about five men and two women raced into the room, but she wasn't among them. He didn't know what happened. There was a man flashing a light in his eyes, asking him questions.

"What's your name?"

"I don't know." Link admitted.

"What month is it?"

"What's a month?" Link asked, confused.

"Do you know where you are?"

"No." The doctor sighed, and wrote on a clipboard that was hanging off the edge of the bed.

A few minutes later, the men and women left the room, and the first woman came timidly back shortly after they left. She sat down next to him, and began to cry softly.

"Do you really remember nothing?" She asked, through her tears. Link thought. He reached deep into his mind, and managed to clear out a few brief images.

"Not much..." He said, trying to concerntrate on the fading images, "Just three little girls, a man, and... someone..."

"Your family." She was shocked.

"Oh." Link sat in silence for a few more seconds, "Who are you?"

"I'm Zelda." She said, taking his hand again, "Your... ex-girlfriend."

"Then what are you doing here?" Link asked, incredulous, "Aren't you supposed to hate me?" To his surprise, Zelda giggled.

"No..." She sighed, "We didn't really break up on bad terms. It was kinda... forced upon us. We really had no choice. We're still good friends." She began to cry again. Link reached out and took her hand.

"I think I remember you now." He spoke truthfully. A few memories were coming to him, all of them of Zelda. She smiled sadly.

"You don't have to patronise me, Link." She said.

"I'm not." Zelda's smile got bigger.

The next few hours were full of questions, and finding out about Link and his past. Link was glad that there was someone out there that could tell him about himself, considering he had almost no memory.

**EVIL REALM**

The small stalfos and moblin army began marching towards the portal between worlds, Ganondorf at their head. Eventually, they hit the barrier between worlds, and the Sage's Seal was tested. Ganondorf had stored enough evil magic for centuries to be able to break this seal. It was hard, but they managed to break through.

Ganondorf was the first to emerge in the Temple of Time. He looked around with an evil grin on his face. He quickly gave out his orders.

**THE NEW KOKIRI VILLAGE**

Impa materialised on the Triforce disk, that Saria had reserved purely for the purpose of the warping of the Sages. She scanned the village for any sign of Saria.

"You, there!" She called out to a boy that she recognised as Mido, "Where is Saria? It's urgent!"

"She's in the temple, I think." Mido stared curiously after Impa as she took off like a speeding bullet.

**AN HOUR LATER**

"What's that?" Link asked, pointing out the window. Zelda turned her head to see what he meant. She furrowed her brows.

"I don't know." She furrowed her brow even more. She stared out the window, and then gasped. It was an orb of bright orange magic! And it was headded striaght for them!

"Cover your eyes!" She shreiked, crouching down on the floor. Link obliged, and used his sheets to shield his eyes. There was a bright flash that burned his eyes, and then there was silence. There was not a sound. He cautiously opened his eyes.

Zelda was gone.

**ALSO IN THE HOSPITAL, AT THE SAME TIME**

Zel and Linn were talking quietly. There was a few screams, a bright flash of orange, and then there was heat. After that... there was complete silence. Linn looked up.

Zel was gone.

**PARKING LOT**

Nabouru got the fright of her life when Impa materialised behind her. She had just witnessed a bright orange fireball cover the hospital, and then it died down instantly. It made Nabouru shiver, wondering what was happening. Needless to say, Impa had startled her only, oh, a _lot_.

"Nabouru!" Impa seemed out of breath, for some reason, "There is an orange ball of magic headding right for Zelda! You must get her out of there!" Nabouru paled.

"Y-you m-mean that giant ball of f-fire that just enveloped the hospital?" Nabouru stuttered. Impa's eyes widened in shock.

"It's too late..." She trailed off.

**KAKARIKO VILLAGE**

Angahim roared with evil laughter. His spell had succedded. With those snivelling little brats out of the way, he was free to rule Hyrule!

**HALFWAY ACROSS HYRULE FIELD**

Ganondorf stopped in his tracks. Since he had left the Evil Realm, he had been able to sense Zelda's whereabouts, due to the magic of the Triforce of Wisdom. But now, abruptly, there was nothing. She had disappeared.

Ganondorf was a lot smarter than most gave him credit for. He knew who was behind this.

"Angahim! I will get you for this! Zelda was mine! _Mine_!" He was in a fit of rage. He picked up a moblin by the neck and, in his rage, stabbed it in his throat. Needless to say, all of the other moblins and stalfosses kept their distance after that.

* * *

**Please R&R! I accept questions and comments. Please check out some of my favourite stories (on my list), particularly _The Legend Of Zelda; The Mercinaries Mark_.**

**See ya!**


	30. The Other Hyrule

**Hi, people! I just wanna take the time to thank the following people:**

**_badgirl93, blondie91, harrypotterfan (_who always says the same thing! ARGH!_) and Ri2._**

**I would also like to thank _Linkofazeroth_, who has not left me a review yet, but has contacted me in other ways... I hope you leave me a review this time... (hinthint)**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thirty**

**The Other Hyrule**

Dark Link stumbelled into the fountain, his arms outstretched. He had been told that, if he touched a fairy in this fountian, that he would be completely healed. He nearly touched a fairy with his dark, distorted fingers, but he collapsed. He laid there, in the dark, wondering how Link could have sustained so many severe burns, and still be living!

He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a stray fairy floating over to him, not seeing him in the darkness. He forced himself to stand up, and he snatched the fairy out of the air. She gave a squeel of protest, and complied with her duties.

Dark Link screemed in his agony. One would think that being healed by a fairy would be a pleasnt experience, but it was quite the opposite. He had to endure the pain of suffering all of the burns in reverse in order to heal all of the wounds. It was ten minutes of sheer agony. When the grueling process was over, Dark Link slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

It took a minute for his energy to return to him. When it was all over, and he was able to stand, he had never felt better. He strode out of the fountain, whistling a tune.

**MEANWHILE**

Link was convulsing. The doctors had no idea what was going on. From what they could tell, the burns were reversing, and then they were fading. Link screamed one more time, and then he stopped. He was panting heavily, and then he just went back to normal.

Link sat up, and looked around. The doctors stared at him in astonishment. He was completely healed. It looked as if he had never been burned at all. Even his hair grew back. His memory had completely returned, as well.

**SOMEWHERE**

Zelda groaned. She felt water dripping on her face at an alarming rate, and heard the tell-tale sounds of a storm approaching. With a squelch, she sat up in the mud, trying to wipe it off the side of her face. She looked around, and saw completely unfamiliar territory. She could hear the sounds of what seemed to be a mess hall not too far into the distance. Picking herself up, she began trudging through the mud towards the sounds.

By the time she reached the large wooden building, the skies had well and truly opened up, and the rain was so heavy that you could barely see out of arms reach. She felt blindly around for a wall, and found one. Running her hand over the wodden surface, she followed it.

Zelda walked into something solid. She stumbelled and almost fell, but she caught herself in time. Squinting through the sheets of rain, she tried to make out the shape of the thing that she just hit.

**MEANWHILE**

Zel sat up with a vulgar curse, and stretched her aching muscles. While she took the time to monitor her surroundings, she was hit with a huge sense of familiarity. She was home. But it was not as she remembered it. It was calm, and peaceful. Not a monster or soldier in sight.

What was more, she was clothed in a gown that she recognised. She was wearing a long, pink gown that clashed horribly with her hair, and her long brown locks were tied up with pale pink ribbons behind her ears. She looked more like a country bumpkin in a noble-woman's gown than a Princess.

Zel stopped for a minute to think about what being home meant. She could no longer call on Zelda or the Sages for help anymore, and Linn was probably still in the other world, getting treatment from the strange doctors that Zelda had so much faith in. She almost cried with that thought. She was sure she could survive without Zelda and the Sages, but she knew that she couldn't survive without Linn.

Zel stood up numbly, and began to trudge to a community hall that she knew was nearby. She had been walking for about two minutes before the heavens opened up, and rain came bucketing down. It soaked her to the bone, making her gown mould to every curve in her body. She was looking forward to a hot drink and a change of clothes.

She reached the centre, and began to feel for the walls. She was basically blind in the rain, because it was so heavy. Eventually, she ran into something. She saw the person stumble and almost fall, and decided to declare her name and status, in case they were hostile.

"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. Who are you?" She demanded.

**ZELDA**

"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. Who are you?" A familiar voice demanded. Zelda gasped, and put a hand up to her mouth.

"Zel?" She gasped. She saw the vague outline of a woman in a soaked dress through the rain.

"Zelda?" The same voice asked, confirming her thoughts, "Come. We must get out of this rain!"

Zelda and Zel walked through the rain to find the enterance to the hall. It was bustling with activity, distributing what Zelda presumed to be lunch. As soon as Zel opened the door, however, the entire room halted whatever they were doing.

"Princess?" One man stammered, dropping to his knees before Zel, "Princess, have you really returned to us?"

"Yes, sir," Zel said, as regally as Zelda had ever heard her speak, "If you do not mind, we are cold and are desperately in need of a bath and change. Would someone be as kind as to help the two of us?" For the first time, the people in the hall saw Zelda, following Zel meekly through the hall. Zelda heard some quiet mutterings in the crowd, all of them about her.

"... must be a harlot... look at those clothes... she looks just like the Princess... looks so lose..." She heard fragments of peoples comments in the room, as she followed Zel into a small chamber off the main hall. When the door was closed, all sound was cut off.

"What is this place?" Zelda asked, looking out the window. Zel followed her gaze and sighed thoughtfully.

"This is my Kingdom. This is my Hyrule." Zelda looked at Zel as if she were mad, "Don't look at me like that. It's true." Zelda nodded, and continued to stare. So this was the place that Zel and Linn had come from?

Well, it was more lively than her Hyrule.

**LINK**

Link was discharged from the hospital the next day. The doctors had conducted many tests on him and they had found nothing. So, they did what any normal person would do. They pretended it never happened.

On that same day, Linn was well enough to be discharged as well. They all helped him into the car, and they drove off to Nabouru's house for the night.

Tomorrow was the day when all three of the Sages on the outside word would come into Hyrule, to take on their old lives. Ruto would once again becone a Zora. Darunia would once again become a Goron. Nabouru would become a Gerudo. Once this happened, however, there was no going back. It was time to save Hyrule, Princess or no Princess, though Link's heart ached for Zelda.

**SPIRIT TEMPLE**

Ganondorf's mood had still not improved since the day before. He was still livid over the disappearance of Zelda, wanting her as his Queen when he finally took over the Light Realm.

He called to a random moblin to bring him a meal. Despite his anger, he did not want to kill any of his minions. It was one of those rare moments when he was not lusting after just anyone's blood. He wanted Angahim, and he wanted to torture him before he died.

He hurled another expensive goblet across the chamber, but this time, it did not impact. Instead, it acted like a boomerang, and flew back to Ganondorf's hand. He was sick of having to get new goblets every week.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Angahim made his way to the castle, destroying anything and everything that he came across. He wanted to make sure that he got to the castle quickly, to set his plan in motion. What he did not count on, however, was meeting up with Dark Link.

The Shadow being smirked evilly, setting himself up for the grueling battle he was about to face. Angahim seemed to know what Dark Link was going to do before Dark Link himself did. He drew his hand back to realease a powerful bolt of magic at the creature, but a mirror was thrown in the path of the magic, reflecting it back to Angahim, who teleported away just in time.

Dark Link looked around frantically for the one that had just saved his hide. He didn't see them... whoever it was. He assumed that they were not attempting to save him, but they were trying to save Link. He didn't care either way. He was still alive.

**IN THE CAR**

Link was getting impatient. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, and get to the Temple of Time. He wanted to find Zelda. Heck, he just wanted to save the world! He was out for Ganondorf's blood. He didn't know that it was Angahim that had created that spell.

They screeched to a halt on the edge of the forest, and they began to trudge into the dense foliage. Once they reached a certain spot, there were three beems of light that were headded for them. A red one, a blue one, and an orange one.

The red one envelloped Darunia, the blue one envelloped Ruto, and the orange one envelloped Nabouru. When the light subsided, the transformation was complete. All of the Six Sages were back in Hyrule.

Now all they had to do was find Zelda...

**OTHER HYRULE**

Zelda and Zel sat in the dining hall of the Palace, waiting for the six maidens of the Realm. They were to determine whether or not Zelda was dangerous. Zel had scoffed at the idea, but Zelda assured her that it was fine. The women walked into the room, took one look at Zelda, and fell to their knees.

"It is Nayru!" One of them shrieked, "The Goddess of Wisdom has come to us!" Zel gave the woman a quizical look, and then spoke.

"So, I am assuming that she passes?" She said half-jokingly. All of the maidens looked at her as if she were a loon.

"Of course Her Grace passes!" They said in unison, "She is the Goddess of Wisdom, and the Mother of us all." Zelda stood there like a statue, not sure what to say or do. Zel snickered.

* * *

**Well, what did you think? Questions and comments are welcome.**


	31. Freeing The Forest Folk

**Hey, people! I've just finished this chapter, so it's steaming fresh! I've proofread it once, but I may have skipped some... please bear with me.**

**I just wanna thank the following people:**

**_Ashnight 10_, _harrypotterfan_, _blondie91_, _Ri2_, _Sheik's_ _twin_, _Justin_ _Time_, and _Linkofazeroth_.**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thirty One**

**Freeing The Forest Folk**

"What does Your Grace wish?" One of the castle's servants bowed to Zelda. She found the whole thing very irksome, but Zel had pushed her to go along with the idea of her being a Goddess. Zelda couldn't help but think that it was a little blasphemous, but Zel had assured her that, since she was inhabited by the power of a Goddess through the Triforce of Wisdom, that she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I wish for a scroll of parchment, a pot of ink and a quill, please." Zelda spoke kindly. The girl bobbed a quick curtsey, and went to fetch the items for her. Zelda sighed, and sank into the cushions that were carefully arranged on the lounge-chair.

Zelda had to pick at the garment that the Priests insisted she wore, so that she could breathe. It was the traditional outfit that Nayru was believed to wear in the heavens. It looked nothing like what any of the other women wore.

Since Nayru was considered to be the mother of all life, she was considred the most fertile and enticing of women. Because of this, she wore clothes that fit with that description. If Nayru did wear this, Zelda was thinking, then she would have fit the 'enticing' part of her title very well. It was little more than a very tight and revealing piece of gold-spun cloth and a few silver chains that did not leave much to the imagination.

It cut off halfway down her chest, leaving a lot of cleavage revealed, and stopped about where a midriff top would. It pushed her breasts up, making them seem much bigger than they really were. There were no arms of the garment. Instead, there were a few small silver chains that fell over her shoulders, and hung loosely down her arms, before coming back up and joining the cloth again. It had a few thin silvery chains falling down across her stomach and back, joining to the line of the _very_ small skirt that only hid what was necessary.

The skirt had small silver chains that fell from the edge of it, and attached to a chain around her knees. These chains fell off that one, and attached to a similar chain around her ankles. These fell down her feet, and attached to yet another chain that was around each one of her toes.

Her thin thighs were adorned with silver circlets and her calves had small animals painted on them. Her upper arms were also covered with small silver circlets, and her lower arms also had small pictures painted on them, but this time it was of the trees, the wood nymphs, and other things that were legendary. Her wrists had chains of small silvery leaves hanging off them, and had little golden berries that were hanging off the 'stems' of the braclets here and there. There was a golden Triforce painted around her navel, with pictures of men, women, and children bowing in prayer. Any part of her that was not painted or had clothes on it, was painted pure white.

Needless to say, Zelda thought it extremely uncomfortable. And _extremely_ over done.

Soon enough, the girl reappeared with the items that Zelda had requested. Zelda proceeded to write a summons to Zel. She was locked away in the tower, and desperately needed someone at least halfway intelligent to talk to. All of the servants here were idiots.

As soon as she was finished, she sent the girl to hand-deliver the letter to Zel. She then sat back, and tried to breathe. It was prooving exceedingly difficult. After a few minutes, there was a soft knock at the door, and Zel's voice rang through the cracks.

"My Lady? Is there anything you wanted?"

"Come in!" Zelda called, not meaning to let her impatience show. But show it did, and Zelda felt a spark of power that she had never felt before. It was so strong. It felt good, but it scared her. She forced herself to breathe, and, by doing so, supressed the tremendous power.

"What is it, Zelda?" Zel asked, once the door was latched, and the spell of silence was in effect. The doors magically locked behind her. Zelda had requested it specifically for privacy reasons, but the people took it as a sign that she was planning to bed a few of the men of the palace.

Needless to say, many men turned up at her doorstep whenever they were not working, or on duty. The King himself had shown up, and propositioned her. He simply refused to take 'no' for an answer. In the end, it took several threats on his manhood by Zelda for him to go away. The beauty of that part was, that he couldn't do anything about it. As long as the rest of Hyrule thought her a Goddess, then she was above the law, as well as the King.

"I just need someone to talk to." Zelda said, pulling at the clothes again, and it just snapped back to her skin. Zelda grimaced.

The two girls just sat there, Zel listening to Zelda complain about having to act like a Goddess.

**OTHER HYRULE**

Link, Linn, Impa, Nabouru, Darunia and Ruto trudged their way further into the forest. Ruto and Darunia were inhibited by their transformation, and Linn was gasping for breath. He was still severely injured, but he refused any help. Suddenly, Impa snapped her fingers, scaring the lot of them.

"I know how we can heal Linn!" She uttered excitedly, drawing out a small glass bottle with a fairy inside "I can't believe any of us forgot about it!" Link looked at it, an eyebrow raised. How was a fairy supposed to heal Linn? Link looked at her skeptically.

"I don't think that will work." Link said plainly, pushing on. Impa gave a low laugh.

"That is how you were healed." Nabouru said, straight faced, "Dark Link someow got hold of a fairy. Thats how you are completely fine now. It will work."

Link was shocked at that revelation. He had not expected, in a million years...

"It will hurt." He told Linn, startling everyone, "Like you are being burned all over again. It last for about ten minutes, then you are fine. Do you want to?" Linn looked him square in the eyes, and nodded. Impa nodded at Link, and walked over to where Linn had lied down on the forest floor. She held the bottle over him, and un-corked it. The fairy gave a small squeal of shock, and flew around Linn, sprinkling him with fairy dust.

Linn screamed in agony. The others just sat back and watched indifferently, but Link inched his way closer to Linn's convulsing body. He clamped his hands on Linn's shoulders, holding him down and preventing him from doing something to hurt himself. By the time it was over, Link and Linn were both panting, and covered in sweat.

Link was the first to recover, and pulled himdelf to his feet. He offered his hand to Linn, who took it without shame. Now was not a time to worry about pride issues. They had to start going to the six Temples.

After a little while, they made it to their first stop. The Forest Temple.

**ABOUT EIGHT HOURS LATER**

Link untied another small child from a pillar in the Temple. It seemed that Ganondorf had wasted no time, and had taken over the Temples in their absence. The Forest Temple had been overrun by monsters, and the kokiri were scattered about the Temple, having been taken prisioner by the boss, and hidden around.

Link led the small girl back to the centre room with the torches. As he was coming out, Linn was bringing a small boy, that Link recognised as Mido, out into the room. Linn and Link left the kokiri with Ruto, Darunia, Nabouru and Impa while they took the elevator downstairs. They had taken about eight hours, but together, they had cleared out the Temple. On his way, Link had found a bow and quiver, that was full of arrows. Linn had already had one, so he didn't complain.

Link looked over at his companion in wonder. He had used many different items in his quest, but Link could not see where he kept it all. When Link had asked, Linn said indifferently; "magic".

When the lift stopped at the bottom, Link and Linn stepped off. There were a few cells down here, with a rotating wall. Without a word, Link and Linn made their way to the wall, and pushed it around, making it spin, and another way opened. Inside, their was a chest.

Opening the chest, Link found that it contained two large green Kokiri-style tunics. Tossing one to Linn, who caught it with a bemused look on his face, he began to change into it, leggings and all. When he caught Linn staring at him strangely, he told him to change into it.

"Why?" Linn asked, incredulous, eyeing Link as he completed his ensemble with a rediculous floopy green hat.

"It will increase your mobility." Link said simply, fastening the curved sword that he had borrowed from Nabouru to his belt. Linn looked at him strangely for a few minutes, but then decided to change. Once he was done, they stepped out of the cell, pushed the wall, and opened another way, revealing another chest.

There were Hylian Shields in this one. Link, with a smirk, took one, and hooked it to his back somehow, in front of his new bow and quiver. He tried removing it and returning it to his back quickly. It worked better if he used his right hand. That didn't bother him, considering he weilded his weapons in his left. Linn took the other shield, and also strapped it to his back. And, the same as Link, he was left-handed.

They pushed the wall another time, and this time it opened up to a small altar that had two scabbards hanging off it. Each of them had a long, gilded sword in it, and when Link and Linn removed them, they gleamed in the dim torchlight. They also attached those on their back, behind the shields. Link could now return Nabouru's sword to her after the battle.

Not questioning their luck, they pushed the wall one more time. It opened up a corridor that led to a large door that had the shape of the Kokiri's Emerald carved into it. Looking at each other and nodding, the two young men opened the door, and walked into the unknown.

What awaited them was an empty room.

Link and Linn stood back to back in the centre of the room, watching the paintings. What they were watching for, though, niether of them knew. They both felt a healthy sense of dread blossom in their guts. Neither of them liked the quiet. Link, ever-so-cautiously, picked up a lose piece of stone off the floor, and threw it over to the exit of the platform.

Spikes flew up, blocking the only way off the platform. Both men were now begining to taste real fear.

"Look!" Linn shouted suddenly, pointing to a portrait just to the left of Link. He spun around, and a man riding a horse leapt out of the paintings. Both of them were stupefied. The ghostly figure took advantage of their distraction, and attacked them with a blast of magic.

Both of them were hit, and were sent flying to opposite ends of the platform. Linn was the first to recover, getting up, and notching an arrow.

"_Die_!" He yelled, loosing the arrow at the phantom's back. It caught him between the shoulders, and he was thown from his horse. The phantom crumpled to the ground, with an arrow sticking out of its back. Linn and Link both knew that it was not the end. The phantom was trying to give them a false sense of security. They braced themselves for when the phantom would give up the sharade. Eventually, the phantom hovered up into the air, and re-mounted the horse.

* * *

**Well, there you go! Like I warned you before, I only proofread this once, so its not perfect.**

**Review please! I accept question and comments!**


	32. Finally, Sheik is here!

**Hello. And, before any of you get the wrong idea... Shiek WILL make her debut in this chapter! I know she was in it earlier, but that was in a MUCH, MUCH earlier chapter... Now she will be a key part of the story.**

**ALSO NOTE: When Zelda (it will only be Zelda, Zel can't change forms... Although that might change in furture chapters) transforms into Sheik, I will cease to call her "Zelda". When she is Sheik, i shall call her "Sheik", and I shall call her "Zelda" when she is Zelda. Just so you don't get confused...**

**Thank you to the following perople, who left a review for the last chapter:**

**_blondie91_,_ Linkofazeroth_,_ Ri2_,_ Achitka_,_ someone100001_,_ harrypotterfan_,_ lisilgirl_,and _Lakyan_**.

* * *

**To Find The FUture, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thrity Two**

**Finally, Sheik is here!**

Link notched another arrow, and aimed at the phantom's horse. Link and Linn had been at this for about an hour, and both of them were beginning to run out of arrows. Thankfully, the phantom fell off his horse as it dissolved into flames. Link was startled by this, but Linn took it in his stride. He didn't let it faze him.

Quickly pulling his thoughts together, Link focused on defeating the phantom. He notched yet another arrow, and let loose. The phantom blocked it with his staff. Linn gave a violent curse.

"We need to come up with a strategy." Linn said in a low voice, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Link, who nodded.

"I'll distract him, you get him from behind." Link muttered back. Linn nodded, and they split up again. Hopefully it would work.

**OTHER HYRULE**

Zelda and Zel reached the top of the palace quite easily. Zel wasn't meant to be allowed up there, by order of the King, but Zelda demanded that she be let up there. As they thought her to be Nayru, they obeyed. Zelda turned around, and ordered the soldiers and servants away, to leave just her and Zel up there alone.

"I need help." She blurted, "They're gonna want me to do magic, but I can't!"

"It's ok." Zel said, looking at her levelly, "I can teach you how to do anything you want."

"Would you, really?" Zelda asked, her voice full of hope, and Zel nodded, "How?"

"Just close your eyes," Zel instructed, "and feel for the magic. Do you feel it?" Zelda did indeed feel the magic, though she had to reach deep down to find it. It had been suppressed for so long, that it was hard to find. She summoned it up from the depths of her heart, and held it at the ready. There was much more power than she had originally thought.

"Yes..." Zelda mumbelled, "It's so powerful... Much more power than I thought." Zel nodded.

"I'm not surprised. Now, just do as I say. This is only a simple little spell." Zelda nodded again, her eyes still closed, "Hold out your hand, and concerntrate _only a little_ your magic in your palm... yes, like that." A small ball of blue light had formed in her hand, "Now imagine a small bird where the magic is. Concerntrate really hard. There, see? You did it!"

And indeed she had. When she opened her eyes, she saw a small white bird. It was about the size of a finch, but the colour of a white dove. It almost blended in with the white body paint that covered her. She put her hand over the bird, and it gave a small tweet. She ran her delicate index finger over it's glossy feathers, and it chirped again. Zelda smiled giddily.

"Much easier than how Impa was trying to teach me..." Zelda said under her breath, but not with malice. She was just gazing in wonder at the small bird that she had created.

"What was that?" Zel asked, cocking her head.

"Nothing." Zelda said, as the bird flew off into the sun. She smiled, and looked back at Zel.

"I think I feel a bit better now. I'd like some time alone before go back to my room. Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome." Zel said, as she descended the tower, leaving Zelda to deal with her thoughts. Zelda took a deep breath, and focused her thoughts on Link. She had to see him. She had to see if he was alright.

Suddenly, she was hit with some powerful images. She wasn't sure if they were real or not, but they terrified her. She saw both Link and Linn fighting a man that looked like Ganondorf, and they seemed to be wearing down. There was a bright light, and Zelda was thrown back to herself, as if there was someone there that was blocking her vision.

'_You cannot see the affairs of another dimension..._' A voice sounded in her mind. Zelda was now confused as well as afraid. She made her way down the stairs, pondering her visions.

**FOREST TEMPLE**

Link ran around, dodging the phantom's various attacks, while Linn sneaked his way around the back of the monster. It was the first such opportunity since they had come up with the plan that they could execute it.

The phantom swung his staff at Link, loosing a blast of very powerful magic at him. Out of reflex, he flailed his sword at it. It bounced off the blade, and flew back at the phantom, who was not expecting it. It collided with his head, knocking him out of the air. Link and Linn did not waste a second of their opporunity, hacking into the phantom.

Blood spilled everywhere. But it was not ordinary blood. It was a thick, sluggish green. Link almost heaved at the stench, but pushed it to the back of his mind. He slashed his sword at the monster, decapitating it.

There was a disgusting gurgle that came from the body as green blood spilled everywhere, getting all over their boots and hands, as it splattered all over them. They stood up, and watched the body disintergrate into ash as it lit up with blue fire. They stood back, watching the spectacular display, as they tried to get as much of the stinking goop off them as they could.

There was a ring of... unatural... green light in the middle of the platform. Linn, ever-so-cautiously, stepped into the ring. He beckoned for Link to follow him. Link eyed the light distrustfully as he stepped into it. With the pair of them inside the light, it got to such an intense brightness, that they had to shield their eyes. When they were able to open their eyes, they saw very different surroundings.

They were in an echoing blue chamber, with water running down each of the walls. They appeared to be standing at the source of the water, but their feet were not getting wet. It was very odd. It was a cool room, but it was not cold. It was warm, but it wasn't hot. The room was large yet small, and it was loud yet silent.

In front of them, there was another ring of green light. They watched, amazed, as Saria emerged in the middle. When the light subsided, she opened her eyes, and looked somewhat bewildered. She looked around her, and spotted Link and Linn standing on the centre platform. She smiled.

"I am Saria, the Sage of the Forest." She said, bowing her head at them, "Thank you for ridding my Temple of the viscious monsters that took us, the Kokiri, by siege. We are indebted to you. If you should ever have need of my power, use this medallion to call upon me. I will be waiting."

Saria raised her arms, and in between her small hands, there was a green flash. She handed Link the medallion, and spoke gravely.

"There is another task you must complete, after you leave this Chamber of Sages. You cannnot return to the Mortal World until you are finished this task. You must be cautious. The Evil Realm is dangerous, and the monsters here are stronger than any you are likely to ever face. If you die in these mazes, then you _will_ stay dead. There is no cheating here. Fairies also have no effect. Your only hope is to drink a red potion before you die. Be careful."

And then they were in the dark. Saria had disappeared, and the water had stopped falling down the walls. They were no longer in the Chamber of Sages.

Link and Linn cautiously proceeded through the maze, following their instinct. With each and every step, their sense of foreboding grew.

**OTHER HYRULE**

Zelda took a deep breath, and cast her mind to the dreams she used to have before she moved to Australia. They all seemed a blur to her. Fixing her mind on one particular image, she summoned her magic.

She let the spell wash over her, changing her. She loved the sense of freedom. Her spell subsided, and she looked herself in the mirror. She gave a smirk that no one could see.

Sheik stared back at her, with three-quarters of her face hidden by a mask. he red eye that was left uncovered was blank. It showed no feeling. She gazed at herself in wonder. Just then, someone knocked at the door.

"Who is it?" Sheik called. She did not expect her voice to have changed, but it did. It was a little muffled by the mask, but it had a deeper pitch than before. The mask, though, made it seem deeper that it was, so she sounded like a man. Whoever was on the other side of the door noticed the change in voice, and charged into the room. Sheik found herself looking at an alarmed Zel, who looked her up and down with fear.

"Who are you?" She almost shreiked. Sheik rolled her eyes, and made a motion with her left hand. The Trifoce of Wisdom flashed for a second, and the door flew shut. Zel was about to turn around to try to open the door, when Sheik spoke.

"Zel, it's me, Zelda." She spoke with her normal voice. Zel looked at her in wonder.

"Zelda? This is what you do with your magic?" Zel said in hushed tones, "Try to give people heart attacks?" Sheik smirked.

"OK, first of all, in this form, call me 'Sheik'. And second of all, no one told you to come in. You could have just waited until I opened the door." Sheik almost giggled at the look on Zel's face. Almost, but didn't. She kept the skilled and controlled demeanor that a Sheikan warrior possessed.

"OK, _Sheik_," Zel said, "What the hell did you do... _this_ for?"

"I'm going out." Sheik said, leaving no room for argument, "I'm sick of being stuffed in this room! I need to go out and see this Hyrule, while I have the chance! I might not be here for long, but I just wanna make the best of it!"

"Don't you like it here?" Zel asked, feeling a little dejected. Sheik looked at her sympathetically.

"It's..." She searched for a positive word to describe the place, "Comfortable." She finally settled on, "But I want to explore. I just need to get outta here."

"Well, what will I tell the people who want me to ask their Mother a question?" Zel asked. Sheik had to think for a moment.

"Tell them that Nayru has disappeared. It's the truth." She finally said, "Tell them that she's probably gone back to the heavens."

"OK..." She mumbelled, glaring at Sheik, "But if you die, I will be sure to hunt you down in the afterlife. It's quite dangerous in our world, you know."

"As it is in any other." Sheik pointed out, as she made her way to the balcony. Waving her hands, the doors unlocked themselves.

"Be careful!" Zel called just before Sheik jumped.

"I will!" Sheik called back.

* * *

**Well, I'm not sure if I added Sheik at the right time, but I had the impulse to do it. Please tell me what you thought, but please don't be nasty about it.**


	33. Dark Linn

**Hey! I just wanna thank the following people:**

_**blondie91**_

_**someone100001**_

**_Sheik's twin _**(NO! Really? I never would have guessed!)

_**Justin Time**_

_**lisilgirl**_

**_Linkofazeroth _**(Thanks for your comments... I appreciate your honesty. It was also one of the hardest to write.)

**_Squirt Saphire_** (REVIEWER 150! YAY!)

_**anime/videogame freak**_

**_NOTE: _I have recieved a review about Zelda's ability to use magic... and I think I should explain. The magic in this story is INCREDIBLY easy to use. Impa was just going about teaching Zelda the wrong way. She was aiming for the more refined approach, whereas Zel taught Zelda the raw approach. It is very volatile and draining. You will notice that Zelda switches to and from Sheik in this chapter. It drains her magic, and she wont be able to do it very often. I will add complications later in the next few chapters. And all of you who were asking about a second Dark Link... I bring you... DARK LINN!

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thirty Two**

**Dark Linn**

Link and Linn crept up behind the large monster, careful not to alert it to their presence. They got withing two metres, before it turned around to complete its patrol. It spotted them.

"Oh, shit." Link cursed under his breath. He grabbed Linn's arm, and they took off back the way they came. The monster followed them, it's heavy steel armour and sheer size not weighing it down at all.

Link looked over his shoulder back at the monster. It's fiery red eyes were fixed on the back of Linn's neck, as it caught up to him. He pulled it's long spear back over it's head, and threw it at Linn's neck.

"Watch out!" Link shouted, and pushed Linn out of the way. As a result, the spear embedded itself in Link's left arm. Link stumbelled, and collapsed on the wall, yanking the weapon out of him. He almost passed out from the loss of blood, leaving Linn to deal with the monster alone.

Linn looked frantically at Link, and saw that he was on his own for this one. He focused his attention on the monster, and tried to anticipate it's moves. The first thing it did was lunge at Linn, who leapt out of it's way to the right. What he did not expect, though, was the shockwave that literally caught him off guard, and threw him to the ground.

He looked up and gulped, as the beast drew it's sharp, pointy weapon, and plunged it down towards his heart. It stopped about half a cemtimetre from it's mark, as the beast's eyes became large with surprise and pain. Linn scrambled out of the way as the monster fell to it's knees, then keeled over to the side.

Looking up, he saw Link, breathing heavily, aiming the bow at where the monster was. Link just sat there, hair falling across his eyes, fixed on where his target was. Linn looked at the monster, and saw an arrow burried in it's neck. Link had saved his life. For a second time.

It seemed that Linn had sprained his ankle when he fell. He limped over to Link, and they slumped on the wall together. Once they caught their breath, and Linn had made a sloppy bandage for Link's arm, they noticed the door that had appeared out of nowhere when they had defeated the monster. They knew that it was the end of the maze.

They somewhat slowly stood up, supporting each other, and walked slowly to the door. Linn pulled it open, and they found themselves in a room with an altar. They slowly made their way towards it, and they looked at the strange object sitting there in awe.

It was a key. But it wasn't just any key. It's head was etched in the form of a leaf, and it had an ancient text carved onto the stem of the key. It also had a powerful magical aura about it, that gave off a green glow. Link slowly, but cautiously, reached out for it. When his fingers wrapped around it, they were spitired away from the altar.

They next thing they knew, they were in the main room of the Forest Temple, where they had left the Kokiri with the other Sages. They both collapsed, breathing heavily, in the centre of the room.

**OTHER HYRULE**

Sheik eyed the ruins with interest. They seemed to house an old secret. Her curiosity was at it's peak. She cautiously climbed the crumbling steps, and emerged in some form of an Enterance Hall. She decided to stay and investigate this place for a little bit longer.

She heard a door creak open. She spun around to see what it was that still lived here. What she saw irked her to no end.

"Who are you?" Dark Linn shouted, drawing his sword. Sheik failed to answer him. He looked so much like Linn. He was different to the Dark Link that she had met before, in the way that he was not just a shadow. She could see that he was a being in his own right, free of any magical bond to Linn. They looked almost exactly the same, except that Dark Linn's skin was slightly darker than Linn's.

"I said, who are you?" He shouted louder. Sheik quickly pulled her thoughts together, and answered him.

"I am Sheik, of the Sheikah." She said, trying her best to look unintimidated. It was proving to be exceedingly difficult. Dark Linn just looked her up and down.

"The Sheikah are nothing but a myth." He spat, "Who are you really?"

"I am the survivor of the Sheikah." Sheik said. It could be true. If Dark Linn believed that the Sheikah were only a myth, then he was in for a rude awakening. They might have been rare in this Hyrule, but they were one of the few surviving races in the other one.

"I do not believe you." Dark Linn said, after a few minutes of contemplation, "But, if you are really a Sheikah, then you will not object to a... sparring match?" Sheik's eyes widened. How was she going to get out of this one? Before she knew what she was doing, she nodded, and dropped into a fighting stance that she did not even recognise.

Dark Linn came at her, sword drawn. She flipped over him, and kicked him in the back of the head. She was starting to get scared. It was like she was on autopilot. She sure as hell had never done any of this in her current life. She began to suspect that it came from the days of the Hero of Time.

Dark Linn came at her again. This time, he anticipated a backflip, but it did not happen. Sheik followed her instincts, and stood right where she was. When Dark Linn turned around, expecting her to be behind him, she did a backflip as he sliced down with his sword.

Sheik's warrior instincts told her that she had to disarm him. He charged at her, again, and she threw a carefully hidden Deku Nut down at her feet. Dark Linn was blinded for a few seconds, but it was enough. She quickly cracked her hand over his wrist, and he dropped his blade. She picked it up, and backed him into a wall. She put the blade to his throat, indicating to him that he had lost.

"You truly are a great warrior." Dark Linn conceded. Sheik dropped the sword at his feet, and backed away. She expected him to pick it up again, and attack her, but he didn't. Instead, he fell to his knees.

"I serve you, my Master." Dark Linn shocked Sheik. She did not expect, in a million years, that Dark Linn, heck _anything_ evil, to call her 'Master'.

"That's all very well and good," Sheik said, transforming back into Zelda, "But I'm afraid that my purpose is out of your reach." Dark Linn looked at Zelda in shock.

"I was defeated by a woman?" He choked out, and Zelda nodded, "Then I am a disgrace! I must end my life, for I am shamed!"

"Hold on!" Zelda thought, "Can you tell me anything about the wizard, Angahim?"

"Ah..." Dark Linn looked thoughtful, "Yes... Angahim. I'm afraid that those who serve him do so out of fear. If anyone with stronger powers were able to overthrow him was to come along, then they would grovel to them at once. Angahim has no loyal servants. We are all happy now that he has disappeared. Why do you wish to know?"

"Because he has begun to harass me and my friends, in another dimension. I fear that I may have a use for you after all..." She trailed off, and Dark Linn looked angry.

"I shall serve no woman!" He declared, and waved his sword for effect. Zelda transformed back into Sheik.

"Would you like another bout?" Sheik asked threateningly, and Dark Linn backed down.

"Forgive me, Mistress." He bowed. Sheik's face contorted in disgust. Her mind told her that he was pure evil, but her heart told her otherwise. To her, he seemed to be purely a lost soul. One that was not to be judged on the things he's done, but to be judged on what drove him to make those decisions.

"Come with me." Sheik walked calmly out of the ruins, listening for Dark Linn if he chose to attack her from behind. He simply did as she bid him.

**PALACE, SOMETIME LATER**

Zel was bombarded with her subject's voices. There were just too many, and Zel was overwhelmed. She tried to silence them, but she never could make herself heard.

"Quiet!" She roared at the top of her lungs. One of the soldiers heard her, and decided to get everyone's attention for her. He took his sword, and cut one of the tapestries from the wall, causing it to fall onto the floor, creating a loud thud. The crowd immeadiately fell silent.

"Thank you, Darren." Zelda sighed, "Now, as I was saying, Nayru has-" the doors flew open, and in walked Zelda, and... Dark Linn! What the hell was she doing, bringing him here?

"Just returned." Zelda shouted out, and the crowd turned to look at her. For many of them, it was the first time that they had ever seen her.

They made sounds of surprise and fear at the sight of Dark Linn, but they bowed to Zelda none-the-less. She was, as far as they thought, their Mother and Goddess. They all began to sing Nayru's hymn, and Zelda smiled at them all.

"I am thankful for your warm welcome back, but I'm afraid that Dark Link and I must have a word with Princess Zelda. Princess," She turned to Zel, "If you would please take us to a private area."

Zel huffed, and walked off to the corridor adjacent to the entrance. Zelda and Dark Linn followed at a hurried pace, in order to catch up to her. When Zel, Zelda and Drak Linn were all in a small, soundproof room, Zel locked the door,eyeing Dark Linn distrustfully.

"I'm glad your back, Zelda," She said , never taking her eyes off Dark Linn, "But kindly explain what Dark Linn is doing here?"

"He's going to help us get back to the guys." Zelda said simply, slinging her arm around Dark Linn in a friendly way. Zel noticed that she was restraining him, though. She didn't actually trust him not to attack Zel.

"Well, I doubt they'd appreciate seeing us with Linn's evil counterpart." Zel reasoned.

"Yes, I know." Zelda reassurred her, "But it is necessary. He, too, wants to kill Angahim. So therefore, in this battle at least, he is our ally. Temporarily."

"I shall do whatever Mistress bids me." dark Linn said, kneeling before Zelda's feet. Zel looked stunned and disgusted at the display.

"Well, we'd better get to work!" Zelda said happily, taking Dark Linn out of the room with her. Zel stood there, rooted to the spot. Surely, the woman had gone mad?

**

* * *

What did you think? Please review... Please? I accept questions, comments, and CONSTRUCTIVE critisism.**


	34. The Portal

**Hey, people! I don't really hav much to say... Just thanks to my LOVELY reviewers:**

**_lisilgirl_, _Sheik's twin_, _Sparkly Faerie_, _harrypotterfan_, _blondie91_, and _linkofazeroth_.**

* * *

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thrity Four**

**The Portal**

Zel eyed the portal with distrust. She didn't believe that it would take them back to Zelda's world. they had done a bit of travelling for the last few hours, and had emerged in these ruins in the forest. It was the remains of the ancient Temple of the Gods, which once housed the Master Sword. She was still not sure how Sheik and Dark Linn had found it. She was not even sure if they knew how they found it.

"Come on. There's only one way to find out!" Dark Linn cried, jumping into the portal. Zel looked at Sheik, afraid. Sheik looked unsure herself.

"He's right." She said simply, and jumped through after him. Zel looked into the portal, and shrugged.

"Gotta die some day." She sighed defeatedly, and summoned her courage. She wasn't gonna stay there on her own. She closed her eyes, and jumped through.

**OTHER HYRULE**

Link and Linn stumbelled through the trees, trying to keep up with the Sages. They were both tired, but both refused to call out for help. Once they made it out of the trees, Linn caught sight of the remains of Lon Lon Ranch. A memory flashed through his head.

_"Linn? Link? Zelda? Where are you?" She called at the top of her lungs._

_"Right here, Zel." Linn came up behind her. At that moment, the entire house burst into flames._

_"Where's Link and Zelda?" Zel asked, frantic. As she spoke, there was a faint call from atop the building._

_"I'm up here!"_

_Zel began to panic even more. Linn was already taking off anything that would catch alight easily. He dropped his hat, his sword belt, and his sheath in the pile he was leaving behind._

_"Stay here!" He called as he entered the fire, "I'll find them!"_

"The Master Sword..." Linn whispered to himself, "Stop!" He called out at the others. Link was so surprised that he faltered, and fell over.

"What is it?" Impa called back over her shoulder, impatient. Link picked himself up off the ground, and listened intently.

"I have to get something at the ranch!" Linn hurried up to her, with Link not far behind.

"There is nothing there." Impa said sternly, "It was burnt to ashes, Linn."

"No!" Lin protested like a small child who was denied a treat, "I'm sure it's there! Just let me go and check!"

"Very well." Impa sighed in defeat, "Nabouru and Ruto, go with him. Darunia, you will come with Link and I. We must press on to the Fire Temple." Everyone nodded, and they went their seperate ways.

**ZELDA AND DARK LINN**

Zelda was the first to wake up. She groaned, and sat up.

She felt a shift in the ground under her, and opened her eyes in a panic. She looked ahead of her, and saw nothing but ocean. Behind her, there was a small village on the island. She did not see Dark Linn or Zel.

She stood up, and made her way through the village. It was in the dead of night, and everyone was inside. Zelda crept through the small village, and made her way to a small ascending path headding to a bridge that was suspended high in the mountain. She eyed the bridge curiously, and began the steep climb.

It was like making her way through a fissure in a rock. There were parts where she had to suck in her stomach and hold her breath to get through. Once she came to the opening at the beginning of the path, she looked out over the small island in awe. There were four houses, of which one of then looked to be double story. There was a lookout tower, and a dock just to the left of it. There were a few small fishing boats docked there, and a much larger ship off to the side of the island.

Zelda looked at the large ship in wonder. It was something straight out of a fairytale book. The flag flapping in the breeze bore the skull and crossbones on a black tattered background. It was a pirate's ship.

"Mistress?" There was a small voice from behind her. Zelda spun around, but did not see anyone.

"Up here!" The voice called. Zelda looked up, and had to try hard to stifle a giggle.

Dark Linn was in a tree. He was tangled in the branches, and seemed to be fighting to free himself. She looked around her, and spotted a large hooked sword, about the length of her arm. She picked it up, and handed it to Dark Linn.

"Try this." She said as he took it from her. He tried hacking at the branches for a few minutes, before he came loose.

"Where is the Princess?" Dark Linn looked around in the same manner that Zelda had done a few minutes ago. He threw the sword somewhere into the distance. Zelda did not see where it landed.

"I don't know." Zelda admitted, "But we better find her. Who knows whats out here?"

"I do." A strange female voice said behind the pair, "I can even show you where the monsters come from." Zelda whipped around, and found herself staring at a girl, not much older then her, with a bandanna tied around her neck.

"Where are we?" Zelda stammered, watching the strange blonde girl nervously.

"You are on Outset Island. Now, who are you, and what are you doing here?" The stranger demanded.

**HYRULE**

Linn, Ruto, and Nabouru got to the ranch about noon. Linn hobbled through the ashes, to where he thought it was. He found the foundations of the house and barn, and began to feel around.

Linn's hands closed around something hard and cool. With a little effort, he freed the object. He smirked, and held it up into the light.

The Master Sword glinted in the sunlight, magic swirling around its blade. He felt more secure now that he had the fabled 'Blade of Evil's Bane' in his grasp. He knew that it's power was not paramount in this dimension, because this dimension had its own Master Sword, but it was still one of the more powerfull blades.

He sheathed it in his new scabbard, giving the gilded sword to Nabouru to keep.

"We'd better catch up with the others." Ruto said, looking out towards Death Mountain, "They must be there by now." Linn and Nabouru agreed, and they were about to ste off, when a glint in the sunlight caught Linn's eye.

"Hold on." he stopped the women, "What's that?" he asked, pointing the glint out. The three of them all cautiously made their way over to it.

"It's a chest." Nabouru whispered, brushing some ash off it. Unlike many chests in the old days, it was made of metal. Most chests were made of wood in the old days. Whatever was inside it must have either been extremely valuable or extremely dangerous. Or both.

"Isn't that the Royal Emblem?" Ruto asked Nabouru, pointing out a small drawing etched in the metal. Nabouru nodded."

"But I wonder what's inside..." Nabouru trailed off. Ruto and Linn had gone quiet.

**ZEL**

Zel woke up just above water. A bit dripped into her mouth from the tide, and she spat it out violently. It was salt water. She sat up, and surveyed her surroundings. She was on a beach, just outside a little village.

She spotted a little bit of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned fully, to spot a girl about her age looking through a fissure in one of the rocks, and beginning to climb up a hidden path. Zel got up, and curiously followed the blonde girl at a distance.

She emerged into the open just in time to listen to her conversation with a familliar voice.

"You are on Outset Island. Now, who are you, and what are you doing here."

"Who are _you_?" A familliar voice demanded. Looking around the corner, she saw that it was Dark Linn that had spoken.

"Who I am is none of your business!" The strange blonde said, slowly and carefully, "Now, _who are you_? Tell me, or I will put you out of commission for good!"

Zel panicked when neither Dark Linn or Zelda answered. Their only response was to back up further towards the top of the hill. Zel looked frantically around her. Whoever this new girl was, she was dangerous.

Zel saw a curved sword lying on the ground just a little to the left of her. The only problem was that if she went to get it, she would be in plain sight of the woman. She took a deep breath, threw a rockthe girl'shead, and raced out from her hiding place as soon as the girl turned around.

Zel raced behind the girl, and put the sword to the front ofher neck from behind, capturing her in a kind of standing-up headlock.

"Who are you?" Zel growled from behind the girl, who seemed frozen in fear. It surprised all of them when she laughed.

"I am a pirate." Was all that the girl said.

"Tetra!" A strong male voice boomed through the quiet night, "Where are you?"

"Up here!" The girl called back. There was a rustling sound in the fissure, and a young man appeared through the crack.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded. He only saw Zel and Tetra. He did not see Zelda or Dark Linn. He also did not see Zelda transform into Sheik.

"You move, you die." Zel whispered to Tetra, pressing the blade closer to her main artery. It was then that Tetra began to taste the first signs of fear.

* * *

**Well? I wanted another twist... how did this work for you? Please review and let me know!**


	35. The Third Link in a Chain

**Hey, I must apologise for the delay... I've been busy...**

**Thank you to the following WONDERFUL people:**

**_Linkofazeroth_, _harrypotterfan_, _BlackRose_, _Sheik's twin_, _Squirt Saphire_, and _blondie91_.**

**Read and review, please!

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thirty Five**

**The Third Link in a Chain**

"Wow, it's hot in here!" Link moaned, wiping a corner of his tunic over his sweatting forehead. They had just arrived at Death Mountain Crater, with Darunia's help, of course. The volcano hadn't erupted for several centuries, and the pressure buildup was getting worse by the minute. The Goron Tunics that they had been given did not help much against the heat, either.

"Stop whining." Impa commanded, irritated, "We have to get this over and done with. The sooner we get started, the sooner we get out."

"Actually, Impa," Daruina pointed out, "I think you should stay behind. No one but the Sage of the Temple and the Hero should enter. It's probably too dangerous."

"I'm coming." Impa stated, but Link agreed with Darunia.

"Impa, he's right." Link spoke up, "Besides, we need you in top form for _your_ Temple." Impa stopped dead. She hadn't thought of that.

"Alright." She agreed, "But I expect you to be in and out quickly. Even with the tunic, you won't last long in this heat." Link nodded, and they went their separate ways. Impa headded back to Goron City, and Link and Darunia headded to the Temple.

Link came to the ladder first. He cautiously put his foot on the first rung, and slowly descended. Stragely, as if by magic, the metal ladder was cool, not hot. Link expected to see big red welts when he took his hands off the ladder, but they looked normal.

He made his way to the ground without incident, with Darunia not far behind. Unlike the Crater outside the Temple, the temperature inside was much cooler. This surprised Link, as they were in the middle of the lava pit.

"The ancient ones built this place to keep out the heat." Darunia looked around proudly, "If I may say so, it truly feels welcoming." Link looked at Darunia as if he were crazy.

"Well, if you say so." Link muttered, but Darunia continued.

"Yes, I believe I shall stay here after our little adventure-- Link! Look out!" Link felt something sharp pierce his arm, and he blacked out. The last thing he saw was something that looked like a dragon fly towards them. He tried to focus, but lost the battle, and fell into unconsciousness.

**REMAINS OF LON LON RANCH**

Linn, Nabouru and Ruto hauled the chest up out of the ashes, and set to trying to open it. They tired every way they could think of, and they still hadn't opened it. They had tried bombs, arrows to pick at the lock, Nabouru's hair pin, and many other various methods besides. The three of them stood around, trying to figure out a way to open it.

"I got it!" Ruto said after a few minutes.

"What?"

"The Master Sword!" She blurted excitedly, "The Master Sword should be able to cut through the lock!" Linn looked at Nabouru.

"It's worth a try." She shrugged. Linn also shrugged, and unshethed his Master Sword. He directed a substantial amount of his energy to the blade, and lunged it towards the lock. There was a 'ching'ing sound, and nothing happened. Linn, frustrated, kicked the chest with all his might.

"Ouch!" Linn hopped around, but stopped when he heard a click. He leaned over the chest, and lifted the lid. It came open without any effort.

"Weapons..." Nabouru looked over his shoulder, "Hey, I recognise that!" She pointed to a pair of silver-plated gloves, "Those are the treasure of the Spirit Temple!"

Linn, intrigued, reached into the chest. He had just wrapped his fingers around one of the objects, before half of them faded from sight.

"What in the name of the Triforce was that?" Ruto yelled in fright. Nabouru, though, looked worried.

"The beginning of a new quest is marked by the disappearing of old weapons..." She muttered.

"What was that?" Linn looked over his shoulder at the Gerudo.

"Part of an ancient Gerudo saying." She told them "'The beginning of a new quest is marked by the disappearing of old weapons'. It's supposed to ease the women's hearts when they must let go of their lovers in the towns." Linn arched an eyebrow skeptically, but chose not to say anything. He looked inside the chest, and pulled out some familliar-looking objects. With a smirk, he pocketed them.

**OUTSET ISLAND**

"Who are you?" Zel demanded, not letting go of the pirate named Tetra.

"My name is Link." He said, sounding very worried, "Now, I would thank you to kindly_ let go _of my wife."

Zel was so shocked by those statements that she dropped her hold on both Tetra, _and_ her weapon. Tetra then stooped low, knocked her off her feet, picked up the sword, and aligned it to strike a fatal blow. Just before the weapon made contact, it was knocked out of her hand by a dart.

Tetra looked around wildy for the source of the dart, and her eyes settled on Sheik. She was so shocked that she fell over her own feet, and crawled over to her husband. He stood in front of her, and drew his sword.

Sheik blinked in surprise. His sword looked so familliar... It looked like Linn's sword. But... wasn't Linn's sword the Master Sword?

"Where did you get the Master Sword?" Sheik asked, cocking her head to the side. Link blinked in surprise, then regained his fighting stance, with Tetra still crouched pathetically behind him.

"What's it to you?" He demanded, a murderous glint is his eye. Sheik got worried, and put her hands up to show that she meant no harm.

"We have no wish to fight." She reasoned, "If your wife had've just answered our question, we wouldn't have been in this situation. Please. We are lost, and are trying to get home."

"Is that true?" He asked Tetra, who was still behind him. She hung her head, and nodded. He shook his head in disappointment.

"How many times have you gotten yourself into these situations? Twenty, in the past moon?" He asked his wife. She looked up in outrage.

"They should have just answered mine. I still don't know who they are!" She wailed.

"Well, you know our names, what are yours?" Link eyed them with caution. Sheik, annoyed, transformed back into Zelda. She noticed that they tensed when she transformed.

"I am Zelda." She put out her hand to shake. Link blinked at it, and then took it, and pressed the back of it to his lips.

"Zelda, you say?" He asked, and then turned to speak to Tetra, "Do you think this is a coincidence?" Tetra shook her head. Zelda was just about to ask what, when Dark Linn introduced himself.

"My name is Link, too." He stood off a little to the side, "But I am known as Dark Link. However, these girls call me Dark Linn, so call me that." Link and Tetra were now scared beyond belief.

"My name is also Zelda, but call me Zel." Zel did not give Link time to kiss her hand. In fact, she did not even offer it. She gave the pair of them a small curtsey, and stood straight.

"So... we have Zelda, Dark Linn, and Zel?" Tetra rattled off, and they nodded, "OK, next question. Where are you from?" Zelda, Dark Linn and Zel looked at each other nervously.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Zel said eventually.

"Let's just say we are not of this dimension." Zelda put in. Link and Tetra seemed to know that that was as close as they were going to get to an answer.

"Very well, I don't find that so hard to believe." Link shrugged.

"Why not?" Zelda asked, intrigued by his tone.

"Well, when you discover a whole kingdom underwater at the age of eleven, nothing much surprises you any more." Zelda was just about to open her mouth, when another person came through the fissure.

"Big Brother," The young girl said, "Grandma wants you and Tetra back at the house to help... Oh, hello, my names Aryll." She said, noticing the three of them standing there.

Alarm bells went off in Zelda's head. It seemed that it was not only names and appearances that were similar across dimensions, but also relatives as well. The Link from home also had a sister called Aryll.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Aryll." Zelda said pleasantly.

"You are all welcome at our house, I think. I'm sure Grandma won't mind having more of Link and Tetra's friends around." The girl said, and bounded off down the path. Zelda arched her eyebrow at the bouncy girl.

"Come on, then." Link said, "If you're gonna be here, you need to change. You'll stick out badly if you wear that." Zelda, Zel, and Dark Linn looked at each other, and followed the new Link and his wife through the fissure.

**DEATH MOUNTAIN**

Linn, Nabouru, and Ruto made it to the base of Death Mountain without much of a hitch. The only real problem were the Red Tektikes.

"Damn... These... Things!" Linn shouted, as he fought with the bouncing monsters, "I... Hate... Spiders!" He stabbed the final creature in the eye, and it died on the spot. He used a rag to wipe the green blood off the blade, and sheated it. They continued up the summit, until they came to Goron City.

"Um..." Ruto said, as if only just remembering something, "I'm a Zora..."

"So?" Linn asked, not stopping.

"So I can't go into the Crater. Unless someone wants fried fish-Sage for dinner." She blurted out, "I don't fancy cooking, thank you!" Linn rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you can stay in the city." They continued their way up the mountain, until they came to Goron City. Entering it, they saw Impa on the ground floor.

"Impa!" Linn called out to her, waving.

* * *

**Well? What did you think? I had a hell of a time writing it... :groan: I hate writer's block...**


	36. A Little More of Hyrule's Mystery

**Hey. I know that this update has been coming for a REALLY long time, but my computer and I haven't been able to spend much quality time together lately. I have been really busy with my exams, and they finished about a month ago (sheepish grin) but there's been a death in the neighbourhood recently, and I have summer school, and other things have been happeneing, so I haven't had much time.**

**Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into writing, and I'll have this story finished by the end of the year. Let's hope, eh? Also, starting this chapter, I'll be using the Review Reply feature that I just found, ok?**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank you for your patience.

* * *

**

To Find The Future, Find The Past

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

**A Little More of Hyrule's Mystery**

**GREAT SEA**

Zel and Dark Linn stood out of the circle of flames, and watched the village folk, and Zelda, dance around the bonfire. The new Link, whom Zel had dubbed Linque, had hurriedly explained that they had arrived in the middle of Outset Island's most famous festival. It celebrated the passing of the year, and the birth of another. It was celebrated with a huge bonfire, and tribal dancing.

People came from all over the Great Sea for the Festival of Passing. It, alone, brought Outset Island's largest income of the year. Not only did it bring money, but it also brought trade. Fairies from the fountain in the above forest were traded for weapons and potions. Fish were traded for cucco's and pig's meat. Rare and valuable shells were traded for jewlery.

Zel watched as Zelda danced with, what appeared to be, careless abandon. She could, however, see the fatigue behind those eyes. She felt a little guilty, knowing that, if she had told Zelda about the repercussions of using her magic, she could have been much more energetic. As it was, even Zel was tired.

"Zelda!" She called out, "Come over here!"

"What is it?" Zelda panted, making her way over through the crowd.

"We need to rest." Zel pointed out, "Especially you. No offence, or anything, Zelda, but you've become weaker and weaker as you've used more and more magic."

"You noticed, huh?" Zelda sighed, "You're right... I don't know what's happening to me..."

"You just need to lay off the magic for a while, Zelda," Zel put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't transform into Sheik for a few days. I'll try to teach you the more... reserved way of using magic. It'll be less draining, but you need to be at full strength to do it."

"Thanks, Zel..." Zelda yawned widely, "I think I'll take up Linque's grandmother's offer of a nice warm bed... I'll see you in the morning..."

"Good night." Zel turned around, and went to the shoreline. She removed her borrowed shoes, and dipped her feet into the icy-cold water. She closed her eyes, and felt the cold water swirl itself around her. She didn't hear the person come up behind her.

"You shouldn't leave your feet in the water," A stern voice said from behind her, "You'll catch your death of cold."

"Look, Tetra," Zel sighed, "I don't really care, ok? I've been stranded in a place that doesn't even exist in my world, I have no one that I know from my own, besides Dark Linn... Who tried to kill me once, by the way, and I don't know how to get home. So, tell me, why should I care?"

"Look," Tetra sat next to her, and hugged her knees to her chest, "I didn't mean to upset you. It's obviously a very touchy subject." Zel blinked. Was this the girl that she had met earlier? Tetra caught the look on her face, and chuckled softly.

"If my husband trusts you," She explained, "Then I trust you. I apologise for my earlier behaviour. I tend to make quick assumptions about new people." Zel blinked again.

"That's alright." She grinned, "I'm the same. So is Linn... The Link from my world."

"There are many parallel planes..." Tetra stared off into space, "But I see something in the other Zelda... I don't think this is a parallel plane to her..."

"Oh?" Zel raised her eyebrows, "How so?"

"I think this may be the past of her world..." Tetra looked out, "She told me the name of the place that she is from is Australia?" She questioned.

"Yes."

"Hmm..." Tetra thought. "Zelda told me that, in one of the Indigenous tongues of her country, that 'Australia' means 'Old Place'... But it means 'Underwater Land' in ancient Hylian..."

"Maybe." Zel looked out, too, "But I don't know... How would this be the past of her world? For one, this is an ocean... the soils of her world may not be the best, but they are not full of salt and salinity."

"Ah..." Tetra winked, "But here's what I know. Link, of this world, thinks that Hyrule was crushed by the waves. What he doesn't know, is that I placed a spell on it. I didn't mean to... It just happened."

"What does the spell do?" Zel asked, intrigued.

"It will preserve Hyrule underwater, and when the time is right, and the true heir arrives into the world, it will slowly reveal itself. I'm guessing that Zelda is that heir."

"But..." Zel was confused, "I thought that the Zelda of the past turned the people of Hyrule to stone? I've been there... There are stone statues of former people everywhere."

"Yes, I know about that. I saw it in a dream." Tetra said sadly, "The Ancient Princess did indeed turn her people to stone, but a few survived to make it to the mountaintops. Then, eventually, the rainwater filled up the valleys. It rained for years. People thought that the water would eventually drain away, but it never happpened. But, people are noticing now, that the waterlines are receding. The water is finally going away."

"So..." Zel looked out again, "This place will become Australia?"

"Part of it, yes." Tetra sighed, "But not the whole thing. The legends of this place are all inaccurate. They all state that Ganondorf Dragmire, King of Evil, re-surfaced and attacked the world. I know for a fact that it was not he. He may have influenced the Christian armies, but it was most certainly not he that struck a blow."

"Wow..." Zel stared at the strange woman in awe, "How can you know so much?"

"I found it in my mother's things when she passed away." She saw a tear run down Tetra's face, "But I was only a child then. I didn't understand. I do now, though. I trust that you know not to tell Zelda any of this? She will find out all in due time..."

"Yeah... I understand." Zel stood up, "Well, I'm going to bed. It seems to have quietened down a bit." Tetra snorted.

"Yeah, from here." She smirked, "We're too far away to hear all of the noise. Wait until you get closer." Zel giggled.

"Well, goodnight." She smiled. Tetra did not take her eyes off the ocean, glittering in the moonlight.

"Good night, Princess."

**HYRULE (Fire Temple)**

"What in the name of Din happened here?" Linn muttered to himself as he entered the ruins that were the Fire Temple.

The entrance hall looked as if someone had tried to burn the walls black, but had only partially succeeded. The statues at the back of the room were half demolished, and the door to the left of the top of the stairs had been securely locked with about twenty locks and chains. There was rubble and debris everywhere, and something smeered around that looked suspiciously like...

"Blood..." Linn touched it, and rubbed it between his fingers. It was a rather large puddle, and seemed to have a trail leading from it. He followed it, and trooped up the stairs. But, at the top, the trail spread out two ways. One to the left, and one to the right.

Because the door on the left was locked, Linn turned to the right. He tugged on the door, and it's rusty hinges creaked open slowly. Strangely, the trail of blood lead to a ledge, and then stopped. It looked as if the bleeding one had been _dragged through the lava_. But, of course, that was impossible.

Looking up, Linn noticed that chains were hanging from the roof, as if they had once supported a bridge. Linn sighed. They probably had. Just his luck. He'd have to inch is way around the lava pits. Perfect. Just perfect.

Linn slowly crept along the ledges that wound their ways across the lava pit, and came to a side door on a platform about half way. He looked around, and decided that the door was worth a bit of a check out. He opened it, and heard groaning from deep inside the dark chamber.

The hairs on the back of Linn's neck stood on end. This was creepy, no matter how much he tried to deny it. He slowly made his way into the darkness, not able to see a thing. The further he went, the louder the groaning got. He inched his way a little further into the darkness, and was able to distinguish words from the groaner.

"Damned dragon..." He heard a familliar voice groan. Linn recognised that voice.

"Link?" He called softly, "Where are you?"

"Further down here." Came Link's weak response. Linn knew he was losing blood, fast. He had to get to him, and stop the blood flow.

He hurried along, but stopped when he set foot into a puddle of water. At least, he hoped it was water. He almost screamed when a hand latched itself around his ankle.

"Linn..." Link muttered, and then passed out, relaxing his grip as Linn head his head fall into the puddle with a dulled 'thud'. Linn cursed very colourfully.

"Argh..." He picked Link up, and hunched over as he attempted to get him onto his back, "This guy weighs a tonne..."

He slowly and carefully made his way back through the chamber, balancing the unconscious form of Link precariously on his back. He had to get him out of the Temple, and back to the city. Otherwise... Linn didn't want to think about it.

He opened the door, and was met with a obstacle. How was he to get Link back to the main room? The ledges that he had used to get there in the first place were only just wide enough for him to get across. There was no way that he'd be able to get both of them across.

He stood there, wasting precious time, thinking. Suddely a thought struck him.

'_If you are wearing the Goron's Tunic,_' Nabouru had said, '_Then you can walk short distances across pits of lava, and the like._'

Linn, cautiously, tested this theory by putting his foot within an inch of the molten rock. It was hot, but not unbearable. Bracing himself, and Link, he ran across the lava. It was quick, and felt as if he were walking through hot coals, but it wasn't that bad. They emerged on the ledge without incident. Linn sighed.

Now to get him up the ladder, and into the City.

This was going to be fun...

* * *

**Ok... I have to stop here. I can only write whenI feel motivated, but it's boring me at the moment. And I think that this is a good place to leave it, anyway. Please review.**


	37. Bloodshed in the Forest

**Hey. Sorry for taking so long. I've had to settle back into school... (sigh) Another year starting... It's two days in, and I've already got homework! Anyway, here's the chapter. Also, some of you might be uncomfortable with one of the scenes in here. I beg that you don't flame me, but this is something that happens in the world.**

**Oh, and I want to change the name of the story. This one really doesn't apply much anymore. It just doesn't make any sense. If you could review me with any ideas that'd be much appreciated.**

**Anyway, here's the chapter!

* * *

**

**To Find The Future, Find The Past**

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

**Bloodshed in the Forest**

Linn heaved in a breath as he pulled himself and Link up and out of the hole that lead to the Fire Temple with great effort. He gasped in a few more breaths, and put his ear to Link's face to make sure he was still breathing. He panicked as he found that he was not. He felt for a pulse, and found it to be very faint. He figured that the best thing he could do for Link would be to get him back to the city.

Linn made his way over to the bridge that lead to Goron City. It had been restored over the years so that it actually connected. He hurried back into Darunia's chambers, shouting out for someone to help him. Gorons and the rest of the Sages came rushing in to see what happened. There was a mad rush to tend to Link's injuries.

**OUTSET ISLAND**

Zelda woke a little earlier than Zel and Dark Linn. She padded down the hall, and into the kitchen of the house. There, sitting at the table, were Linque and Tetra. They were talking in hushed tones, and eating their breakfast in between. Zelda sat down next to Linque, and the two of them stopped talking immeadiately. Zelda didn't notice, though. She just smiled brightly, and began to eat.

"Morning, Zelda." Linque greeted. Zelda smiled.

"Morning." Zelda chirped.

"Hey, Zelda," Tetra gave a look to her husband before continuing, "Us and the crew have to set sail soon. Will you come? You don't have to. But it'd be safer for you."

"Yeah, I think I will." Zelda nodded, but was interrupted by Zel, who took that moment to barge into the room.

"No, thanks." She said, turnning her nose up at Tetra and Linque, "Zelda and I have to find a way back. We won't be able to do it on a mangy Pirate's Ship." Tetra flared up.

"Well, excuse me, Miss 'I Think I'm Too Good For Everything'!" Tetra raged, "But I'm just trying to help!"

"That's enough!" Zelda stood up, "I'm going with them, Zel, you don't have to come. In fact, I think it'd be better if you cooled down before we bring the topic up again." Zel huffed.

"Whatever!" She positively shouted, and stormed out of the house. Zelda shot Tetra and Linque an apologetic look, and scurried off after her. She saw Zel squeezing through the crevass in the rock again, to go up on top of the mountain. Silently, she followed her.

She had a bad feeling about this.

**ZEL**

Zel climbed to the topmost point of the island, and stopped to catch her breath. She jumped about a foot in the air when she saw how far up she'd come, but quickly gathered her wits. In a reckless rage, she darted across the rickety old rope bridge, and straight into the Forest.

There, she met Dark Linn.

Last night, she hadn't thought to keep an eye on him. Now, though, it was just him and her, and he had a hungry look in his eyes. Zel began to quiver with fear.

"Hello, Princess," Dark Linn said in a fluid voice, knowing that they were quite alone, and he was not going to be caught, "Fancy meeting you here..."

"Leave me alone!" Zel shreiked, not liking the look in his eyes. He smirked, her terror clearly amusing him.

"Now, why would I want to do that?" He inquired, as if they were talking about selling lobsters, "Especially since I now have the chance to finish the job my master set me so many years ago... And a chance to have a little fun, too." He finished, unbuckling his belt.

He dived for her.

Zel screamed.

**ZELDA**

Zelda heard a scream from the forest. Fear clutching at her heart, she sped off to the source of the scream. It was so dark, she could barely see.

She could hear a struggle a little way up the path. Slowly and carefully, she picked her way through the dense foliage to the source of the noise. The scene that greeted her was horrible.

Zel was on the ground, frantically trying to fight off Dark Linn, who was attempting to force himself onto her. She was struggling with all of her might, but he seemed to be gaining the upped hand. Zel was crying, and it looked like he had hit her several times.

Rooted to the spot, unable to move, Zelda watched as Dark Linn, a look of almost pained excitement etched across his now cold and twisted features, ripped off the top of Zel's blouse. She watched, horrified, as Dark Linn bent down and bit Zel's left breast.

Zel's scream of pain, fear and outrage seemed to wake her from her terrified stupor. She grabbed a nearby fallen branch, and quietly advanced on him from behind. Busy with what he was doing, Dark Linn didn't notice her. With an almighty swing, there was a sickening crunching sound as the wood of the branch made contact with Dark Linn's skull.

Dark Linn was sent hurtling across the clearing, and landed in a heap on the ground. Zelda, not caring how uncouth it was, beat him over and over with the branch, sending blood everywhere.

She didn't care how it splattered all over her face, into her hair, and all over her clothes. She didn't care that he was yelling in pain, begging for her to stop. She didn't listen to Zel's horrified screams as she beat him over, and over, and over again. She only stopped when she could see that he had stopped moving completely.

She promptly dropped the bloody branch next to the broken and battered body, and ran to Zel's side. Gathering the crying girl in her arms, she rocked her over and over, contemplating what she had just done. There was no feeling in her heart at all for the horrible creature that dared call himself a man.

"What's going on here?" A man's yell came from the mouth of the forest, "We heard screams!"

Zelda carefully led Zel, who was clutching the front of her blouse over her bruised chest, to the voices. She quickly explained what had happened, and that Dark Linn was somewhere back in the clearing. She led Zel down, back into the village, and straight back into bed.

As she sat there, watching Zel fall into a fitful slumber, she couldn't help but blame herself. After all, hadn't _she_ been the one that had insisted they trust him? Wasn't _she_ the one that had suggested that he come with them?

She stood up, and slowly walked over to the window. She stared as she saw a few of the men bring Dark Linn back down the mountain. She couldn't see whether he was alive or dead. As much as she didn't care about him, she didn't want to be haunted with a murder at her hands for the rest of her life. Turning away from the window, she began to tend to the cuts and bruises that Dark Linn had left on Zel's body.

**LINN**

There was an uneasy feeling in his gut as Linn made his way to the centre of the Temple. Everything had been unusually quiet so far, and he had encountered no creatures at all. Instead of making him feel safer, it just made him heighten his guard.

He sighed, and moved back into the room where the bridge once was. Standing on one of the stones standing in the middle of the lava pit, he was in deep thought.

All of a sudden, there was a deep roaring noise from deep within the bowels of the Temple. He looked around frantically as the roaring got louder. After a few terrifying seconds, he looked up.

The resident dragon, Volvagia, had returned from his lair deep in the Temple, and was coming crashing down to him in the lava pit. Linn froze with fear, and raised his sword on pure instinct. The blade sunk into the dragon's neck up to the hilt, and the thing's blood dripped down his arms, and into the lava below. The world seemed to freeze for a moment, and then the dragon was falling, falling, falling...

... and landed in the lava pit below.

It dissolved into ashes that were then swallowed by the lava.

Linn then blacked out.

**LINK**

Link woke to the taste of red potions. It was clear that they had been desperate enough to wake him that they would risk him choking. Link sighed as he felt his injuries fade away. Much more pleasnt than a fairy. The only downfall of the potion was that there were still scars.

"Link!" Ruto cried, seeing him wake up, "Link! What happened?"

"Volvagia." Link muttered, "Volvagia attacked me." He looked around, "Where's Linn?" Ruto bit her lip.

"Well..." She looked at Nabouro and Impa for help, "When he found you and brought you back here, he went off to the Temple..."

"_Alone_?"

"Well, yes..."

"_And you let him_?"

"Well, he didn't give us much of a chioce-"

"_Impa_!" Link thundered, "_You are the damned Sage of Shadow! Don't give me that 'he didn't give us a choice' crap! You could have stopped him if you wanted to_!"

"Link!" Impa drew herself up to her full height, looking very intimidating as she did so, "If you wanted to go into the Temple, would you have let us stop you?" Link shook his head, "Well, that's exactly what went on. Linn wouldn't rest, so we had no chioce. He kept attacking various poles."

"I'm going after him." Link declared, standing up. He winced as he felt a terrible pain lace up his leg, but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle.

"But, Link..."

"You're injured..."

"They're right, you shouldn't go..."

"Just one more night..."

"You need rest..."

"I'm going." Link said flatly, and equiped his sword and shield. He attempted to stride out the door, but he blacked out again halfway there.

**ZELDA**

Zel had woken up a little while ago, and was refusing to speak, eat, move... refusing to show any signs of life at all. Zelda sank into a pit of self-hate for putting her in this situation. She was just glad that she had followed Zel into the forest... otherwise... Zelda shivered, drawing her cloak tighter around her. She didn't what to go into what would have happened if she hadn't followed.

Dark Linn was still alive, but only just. Tetra had said that, if Zelda hadn't inflicted enough damage to kill him, that she'd do it herself. Zelda had laughed weakly at that.

Zelda quietly opened the door to Zel's room. She was still laying in bed, but there was something different about her this time. She had tears streaking down her face again. Zelda sat on the bed, and put her hand on the other girl's arm.

"You'll be ok, Zel." She whispered reassuringly, "I know you will. You're a strong woman." And, for the first time since the incident, Zel looked Zelda in the eye.

Zelda saw the emotions hidden in Zel's deep brown eyes. She saw the sadness and loss that was hidden deep in the brown pools. Her eyes held a thousand emotions, all of them jumbling into one.

Pain.

* * *

**Well, thanks for reading this far, if you have. I'm not sure how this will be accepted by you guys, but I felt as if it was something of a character-building thing. I've only just realised how shallow my story is, and I'll be doing my best to deepen it.**

**Now review, and remember to suggest any new titles for me that apply to the story. If you send me the one that I'll use, I'll send you a sneak peak of the next chapter.**

**Anyway, gotta go now... Homework beckons!**


	38. Breakdown

**HELLO! No, I am NOT dead! Rejoice! For I have updated at last! And OMFG! YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING AWESOME! 201 reviews? I DON'T BELIEVE IT! PARTY!**

**But, seriously guys... I've had MASSIVE writer's block... I just can't seem to think of anything to write... Oh, and I'm still seriously trying to figure out a new title for this... I NEED one...**

**Anyway, I know it's not much, but it's something... I'm gonna have to end it soon... Then get back to A Strange Reuniting...

* * *

**

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

**Breakdown**

**OUTSET ISLAND**

Zel had started eating in a week. Even though it was only small, like an apple here or there, it was something. She still refused to leave her room, and she had not uttered a single word. When Linque went in to see how she was doing, Zelda had seen how Zel had stiffened, and had politely asked him to leave. Since then, no man had been allowed near her.

Zelda was doing everything in her power to help Zel recover from the trauma, but everything that she was doing seemed to have little or no effect. She would offer kind words, a shoulder to cry on, and a confident, had Zel any wish to speak.

But all of it seemed for naught. Zel showed barely any sign of recovering. Zelda kept encouraging her to eat and sleep, but that was all she was able to do. After a while of trying to get her to talk, she would give up.

One balmy night, Aryll came up to Zelda with grim news.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, though she needn't have. She knew what was coming.

"Dark Linn died this morning." Aryll said softly, "Maybe that'll help Zel. You clobbered him good, though. I don't think even Tetra could've done it." She giggled. Zelda scowled.

"I'm not proud of killing a man, Aryll." Zelda said darkly, "Though I'm not going to pretend I feel sorry. He deserved it, but now I have a black spot in my life that I'll never get rid of." She sighed.

"Sorry, Zelda." Aryll hung her head, "The men are getting rid of the body now. Do you want to come?" Zelda shook her head.

"No, I think I'm gonna be sick." Zelda suddenly felt faint, and had to sit down. Within minutes, Aryll's grandmother was leaning over her sitting form, proclaiming that she was suffering shock, and that bed rest was the only option.

"But, Zel-" Zelda protested.

"I'll look after her." Aryll piped up at once, "Don't worry, Zelda. I'll take good care of you both."

Zelda wasn't very reassured, but allowed the women to steer her back into the house and into a bed. She closed her eyes, and relived the nightmare that she had been having over the past week. The memories from the clearing were replayed vividly in her dreams, but, in her dreams, she had not arrived in time to stop him.

After a few hours, judging by the fact that the moon was almost down, and the sky was lighting up, Zelda woke in a drenched sweat. She washed her face in a bowl of cold water nearby, and walked out into the kitchen.

**HYRULE**

Dark Link opeed his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a strikingly beautiful woman. She smiled serenely, and helped him stand up. He blinked his eyes a few times, to make sure it was real.

"I chased the poes away..." She sighed dreamily, "They were just about to eat you when I arrived."

"Who are you?" Dark Link asked, enraptured by her beauty. The girl looked over to him, her curly auburn locks teased by the light breeze. Her mysteriously deep bottle green eyes glinting with mischief.

"I am Zarina." She sighed lightly, "I believe I am the true heir of Hyrule. Zelda is my very distant cousin. They did not know that the family split along the way. There was one woman in the family who had two daughters of her own. I am descended of the older of the two daughters. The one that ran away."

"You are the Princess?" Dark Link asked, wide-eyed. The girl nodded, and looked out towards the sunset.

"Yes." She breathed dreamily, "The legend of Hyrule was lost along Zelda's line. It was never forgotten in my family. I am here to kill Zelda, and to claim my throne." She said this as if it was as common as sewing.

"Would you like assistance?" Dark Link asked eagerly, seeing this as his opportunity.

"Of course." She breathed, "Name your price." She said, a little harder and colder.

"I want you to help me kill Link." Dark Link said darkly. She nodded slowly, and looked over at him.

"Done. But only when Ganondorf is dead. I still need his strength." Dark Link nodded.

**ANGAHIM**

Angahim strolled through the halls of Hyrule Castle, his army of Stalfoses killing any foolish Shiekah that got in his way. He had conquered the Castle a week ago, and was slowly gaining more and more power in Hyrule.

"You there!" He barked to a random servant girl, "Bring me food! Now!" The girl squeaked, and ran off towards the kitchens.

**GANONDORF**

Ganondorf stepped into the cool surroundings of the Desert Collossus, and strode around the main halls, waiting for his spies. He had managed to get a decent sized following of Gerudos, and was now using them to spread his influence throughout the entire Gerudo population. Without Nabouru around, it was easy.

"Your Lordship," A Gerudo girl kneeled before his feet, "We have managed to convince a further twenty. We now outnumber them by three people."

"That's still not good enough!" Ganondorf barked, "If we attack with only three more people, we still stand a chance of losing! I want to control at least three quarters of the population! Off with you!" He barked. Returning to his walk, he began to wonder.

"Where the hell is Dark Link?"

**LINK**

Link woke up to a bunch of anxious Sages. He sat up, and put his hand up to silence them before they spoke to him about rest.

"It was not I who fainted the second time." He assurred them, "It was Dark Link. Now, has Linn returned?" He didn't like the look in the Sage's eyes.

"Don't tell me..." He muttered, "He's still out there, isn't he?" He asked them impatiently.

"Yes." Impa barked, clearly stressed, "And now you are awake, you are going to look for him." Link nodded grimly.

"I was going, anyway." He said, and collected his weapons and Goron Tunic. Donning them, he entered the crater. He hurried across the bridge, down the ladder, and into the Temple. He noticed a lot of dried up blood. He winced, remembering that it was his and Darunia's.

Climbing the steps, he opted for the door that was unlocked. But, before he could reach it, another door appeared to him. The statues in the middle of the room sprang to life, and moved away, revealing a door. Link cautiously proceeded towards it, and opened it.

It was as if he had entered a different world.

He'd walked straight into a village. It's inhabitants were like humans on fire. Great big flames with human shape walked past him, not batting one of their firey eyelids. Link, slowly, made to turn back, but one of them grabbed his arms. Instead of feeling heat, like one would expect, it felt simply as if a normal person had grabbed him.

Turning around, he came face-to-face with one of the fire-people. He beckoned for him to follow, and walked away, turning every now and again to make sure Link was following.

Link followed him through the village, and through a marketplace. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a large building that many of the fire-people were walking in and out of. Judging from the look of the inside, it was a hospital. Link gave his guide a quizzical look, and followed him inside when he beckoned.

It was cold inside. The people, who were once the orange colour of a flame, turned blue, and emitted a bit of heat to keep themseves warm. Link followed the one that he was following up to a desk and waited while he talked to, what appeared, to be a female nurse, judging from the fact that she was green, and not blue, and was gesturing a few times in his direction.

How Link could tell what sex was what in this strange place, he had no idea. He guessed it had something to do with body shape. Like humans, the fire-people's females were curvy, and the men had a broader chest and shoulders. But it was impossible to tell with the smaller ones, who Link assumed to be the children.

After several moments, the fire-man led Link down a few of the funny smelling halls, and into a private room. Link gasped when he saw the figure on the bed.

Linn.

**ZELDA**

Linque and Tetra decided that they'd have to leave soon, and were pressing Zelda for a decision. Was she going with them or not? Zelda kept telling them that she didn't know, that it depended on Zel, and that she'd let them know.

"We leave tomorrow," Tetra said to Zelda at dinner, "Mid-morning. We really need to know soon." Zelda nodded, and looked outside. She'd have to get Zel onto the ship in the morning. Plus, Zelda didn't know if Zel suffered motion sickness, so that was always a possibility.

"If we go," Zelda sighed, "I'll need your help with getting Zel onto the ship. I won't let anyone else do it." She looked around at the crew, "Sorry guys, no offence, but she really wouldn't be able to handle it." Everyone muttered that it was ok, and that they didn't blame her. Tetra nodded, and said that she'd help Zelda get Zel onto the ship, but they should do it now. Zelda, agreed, and the two of them got up and went over to Zel's room.

**ZEL**

She stiffened as the door opened, and relaxed when she saw two female forms. When they walked forward, she heard Zelda's soothing voice, telling her that they were putting her on the ship. Zel stiffened again, waiting. She wasn't moving. They'd have to drag her onto the ship.

As if they knew that was what she was thinking, Zelda took one of her arms, and Tetra took the other. They heaved her upright onto their shoulders, and half-supported, half-dragged her outside. Passing a door to the right, she heard the rumbling of voices, and assumed that the rest of the crew and the family were in there, eating.

It was a cool, balmy night. Zel felt the wind teasing her hair, caressing her face and whipping the hem of the dress that she was wearing. She felt the sand in her feet, and the shock of the cold water as her feet occasionally dipped into the tide. She felt the vibrations of the wooden planks as they boarded the ship.

The doors were creaky. Zelda had pushed one open with the greatest screech of resistance that Zel had ever heard. Slightly observing the room, she noticed that it was rather beautifully decorated. She sighed as Tetra and Zelda set her down. Tetra left the room shortly after, leaving Zel alone with Zelda.

That was when it happened. Zel couldn't hold it back any longer. Grabbing onto Zelda's sleeve, she cried and cried and cried. She cried for hours, with Zelda merely rocking her and smoothing her hair, just like her mother used to.

* * *

**Like I said, not much... Anyway, title sugestions... Still open to them.**

**I think I can have a little fun with my new OCs, don't you? I'm open to evil plots as well...**

**I'm thinking of skipping a few weeks in the story again... I can't keep going continously forever... It has to come to an end somewhere, and if I don't skip parts, then it's dead boring.**

**Anyway, REVIEW!**


	39. Another Change

**OMG! This chapter came so easily! I can't believe it! I wrote it in one afternoon! I don't know how good it is, considering I'm too lazy to get a beta reader, but I'm sure it's ok. Not GREAT, but I'm sure it's passable.**

**As you can see, I've changed the title to '_Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny_'. I came up with it as I was typing the first paragraph, lol. It seems to fit the story better than '_To Find the Future, Find the Past_'. I mean, that one DID fit in the beginning, but this is SO much better!**

**When I started writing this, I had NO idea where I was going. Now, I know almost exactly where it's going. All that's left is the completion of the Fire Temple, the Water Temple, the Shadow Temple, and the Spirit Temple. Then I can get to the whole POINT of the story.**

**It's weird, huh? I'm thirty nine chapters into the story, and I still haven't gotten to the point... Really bizarre. I mean, there have been certain clues throughout the story about what I'm planning. There has been one thing in my mind the whole time. The box... I'm surprised that no one has asked about it. At least, I don't think they have! XD **

**Anyway, R&R!

* * *

**

**Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny**

**Chapter 39**

**Another Change**

A few moons down the line, Zelda and Zel were on the deck of the Pirate ship. They had just made land on Winfall Island. Tetra, Linque, and the rest of the ship's occupants had left the ship to go into town, leaving Zelda and Zel quite alone. Both of them were staring out into the night sky, their faces illuminated by the glow of the full moon.

"Zelda?" Zel said quietly, "Will we ever get home?" She had since started talking again, and was basically back to normal, with the exceptence of the odd nightmare here and there. Zelda was glad to see her back on her feet.

Zelda closed her saphire eyes, and cast her mind out into the unknown. She swam through the swaps of time, trying to find her way through the deluge. She had only vaguely heard Zel's question, and began searching for the answer. Would they? She came close to their paths in the great highway of life, but could not decipher any of it.

"Zelda?" Zel asked again, waving her hand in front of Zelda's face, and pinching her cheek. Zelda started abruptly, falling backwards onto her behind. Rubbing her sore backside, Zelda sighed.

"I don't know, Zel..." She said quietly, "I really don't know..." She looked towards town, where she knew the Pirates were celebrating Linque and Tetra's anniversary. She could hear the cheering and whistling. She even caught parts of a drunken ballard the Pirates were singing here and there.

The two of them stood there like that, next to each other, staring out into the horizon, deep in their own little worlds. Zelda was dreaming of the day she was thrown into all of this mess, and Zel was thinking of how much she wanted to be home.

"I have an idea." Zelda said suddenly.

**HYRULE**

Link and Linn were still in Goron City. Linn had since recovered from his encounter in the Fire Temple, and was just doing a little training with Link before trying to tackle the Temple again.

"We'll leave tomorrow?" Linn confirmed with Link, after one of their training sessions. Link simply nodded, a fire alight in his eerily intense eyes. Since he had discovered that it was actually Angahim that had made Zelda disappear, he seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. It took Linn, Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru to convince him to stay in hiding.

It was no longer a secret that Angahim and Ganondorf were gaining power. Angahim had since taken over Kakariko village, and the Market Town. Ganondorf had expanded his territory to the borders of Angahim's, completely taking over the Gerudo Valley, and at least half of the Forest. Impa visited the Forest Temple the week before, an had confirmed that the Kokiri were indeed safe from Ganondorf's rule.

There were whispers of a new enemy, as well. Impa had overheard the Kokiri talking about a woman named Zarina. Apparently, she had teamed up with Dark Link, and they were steadily turning Angahim and Ganondorf's minions against themselves. While this seemed good for Link and Linn, Link had a sneaking suspicion that, if Dark Link was in any way involved with her, then she was up to no good.

Trudging through the dark tunnels of Goron City, Link and Linn began to feel a prickle of unease. Where was everyone? They had been a little way down the mountain, training in Dodongo's Cavern. A roar sounded deep within the bowels of the city. Link raced the the sounds, deeply troubled. Linn followed at equal speed.

"Oh, Goddesses..." Linn uttered, completely horrified. Ganondorf was in the very centre of the village, with Volvagia, the dragon.

"I thought Volvagia was dead?" Linn muttered to Link, who shushed him quickly.

"What?" Ganondorf bellowed, "What do you mean they aren't here? I was told that they were hiding here!" The dragon thrashed around, clearly distressed. Ganondorf turned to look where Link and Linn were, a level up. Sensing danger, Linn pulled himself and Link back, ducking behind a few boulders.

Ganondorf's footsteps echoed through the deserted city, coming ever closer to their hiding place. Link and Linn waited with baited breath for him to find them. They could see his feet through the crack at the bottom of the boulder. He was right in front of them.

"Hello, boys..." Ganondorf said silkily, "I believe I have something you want..." Link and Linn straightened up, swords drawn.

"Not today, boys..." Ganondorf said smoothly, eyeing their blades, "Not today... I have a proposition for you." Link took a defensive stance, while Linn faltered a little bit.

"We're listening." Link said curtly, from behind his shield.

"Well..." Ganondorf said offhandedly, "We both want Angahim dead, do we not?" Ganondorf began.

"I thought he was your ally?" Link said cautiously, never lowering either his sword or shield. Ganondorf grimaced.

"Once upon a time, a few moons ago, he was." Ganondorf said maliciously, "But he is no longer. I come here today to offer you a deal... You help me get rid of Angahim, and I will spare your lives..." Link and Linn did not move. Both of them were full of distrust.

"How can we trust you?" Link demanded. Ganondorf dropped down a level. Smirking over his shoulder, he tossed two things up at them. Link caught the medallion, and Linn caught the key.

"I'm willing to sacrifice my minons to get rid of Angahim." Ganondorf said darkly, directing a bolt of desturctive energy from his hands. It came right for their faces. Forcing Linn into the ground, Link ducked just in time. He was right. Ganondorf had only wanted to kill them.

There was a horrible gurgling sound from behind them. Turning, they saw Volvagia. It had been hit with the energy bolt. The dragon burst into flames, and died with a horrible moan of anguish.

"Do we have a deal?" Link froze.

"Yes..." He said quietly, not sure if they were doing the right thing.

**GREAT SEA**

"Are you sure about this?" Zel asked Zelda nervously, "I mean... Isn't this a bit..."

"I'm positive." Zelda said firmly, "Don't worry, Zel... I know exactly what I'm doing!"

"If you say so..." Zel muttered to herself, following Zelda into the boat, "I just think that we should ask for help..."

"Zel," Zelda said sternly, "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing. Just do as I say, and we'll be fine!"

"Ok..." Zel said uneasily, "What do you want me to do?"

"Hold on to the boat," Zelda instructed, doing the same, "And close your eyes. I need you to think of the Queen of Faries... Like, _really_ concerntrate on her..."

Zel felt the boat float out of the water. In a dizzying spell, Zel felt herself be transported from one part of the sea to another. Opening their eyes, they saw that they were in some kind of hollow. Zel bit her lip. She did not like this.

"Greetings, children..." A childish voice sounded, "And welcome to my fountain." There was a burst if light. A little girl, looking much like Saria, appeared, with a small doll dangling from one hand.

"_You_ are the... the..." Zelda spluttered.

"Yes, I am the Queen of Faries..." The child said, giggling, "You are shocked? But why? Us faires are childish creatures, you must know that. Why... dear Tatl and Tale are prime examples of that. But, enough of this. Why do you seek me?"

"We seek your guidance." Zelda said humbly, finally getting over her shock. Stepping out of the boat and into the water, she knelt in the muddy pond in the centre.

"You wish to go home, do you not?" The fairy asked wisely, and Zelda nodded, "Very well... I think I may help you there..." She clapped her hands, "This portal will take you so far. I'm afraid I cannot take you to your own Hyrule, Zelda with the dark hair. You will have to help your fairer twin to her destination, before you can return home. This portal," She indicated the deep green portal, "Will take you to the past. To the time of the Hero of Time, when he fought Ganondorf the first time. You must aid the Hero, Link. Go!"

Zelda and Zel looked at each other. Zel took several steps back, but Zelda grasped her wrist.

"We must." Was all she said, before dragging her into the portal.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

"He gave us a medallion and a key..." Link said in wonder, tracing the edge of the Medallion of Fire, while Impa inspected the the Key of Fire.

"They are indeed the real ones." She finally concluded, "Link, I see this as an opportunity. If the Medallion is here, then Darunia is alive and well. We should press on. The Water Temple awaits!" Link nodded. Linn, Ruto, and Nabouru were listening on the other side of the door.

"I hope this doesn't happen in _my_ Temple." Ruto said freverently. Nabouru nodded.

"As do I."

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

Zelda and Zel stood in the middle of Market Town. It was dark and vibrating evil, and it was very concerntrated.

"Zelda..." Zel said quietly, "Look." She pointed towards a young blonde man, no older then them, sneaking over to the Temple of Time. Curious, Zelda followed, with Zel close behind. The tunic was unmistakeable. Zelda had seen it in Tetra's room in the future countless times.

Zelda dragged herself and Zel into a dark corner, where she quietly altered her appearance. She was no longer Zelda, and was not Shiek. She fashioned herself black hair, a tight pink blouse, and brown leggings, and pale white, creamy skin. She kept her saphire blue eyes.

"Change." Zelda muttered to Zel. Zel nodded, and transformed herself to look much like Zelda, only with brown eyes, and looking about a year younger. Her outfit was similar, except she was wearing blue, not pink. Satisfied that they looked different, they stepped out of the shadows.

Link was huddled in the corner, shaking. Confused, Zelda and Zel made their way up to him quietly.

"Are you ok?" Zelda asked sweetly, noting that her voice had changed along with her body. It was soft and quiet; full of concern. Link looked up, a terrified glint in his young, traumatised eyes.

"Who are you?" Link demanded, drawing his Master Sword. Zelda and Zel took a step back, "I warn you, I know how to use this sword!" He was panicked. Zelda felt her heart go out to the poor young man.

"I'm Zelma." Zelda cursed herself for coming up with such a bad name.

"And I'm Zelra." Zel said, noticing that their chosen names were very similar indeed to thier real names, and to each other's. At least, if they forgot their aliases, they would answer anyway.

"What do you want from me?" Link demanded, frenzied. Navi flew out of his green floppy hat. She began to speak in a very low voice to Link. Just listening to her seemed to calm Link down. Zelda had to clasp her hand over her mouth to stop crying out Navi's name.

"Ok, Navi..." Link murmered, just loud enough for Zelda and Zel to hear, "I'll let them talk without threatening them..."

"I'm so sorry for Link's attitude, Princesses." Navi did her little fairy bow, "You do not have to hold those disguises any longer. I know who you are." Navi flew up to them, and said in a very low voice so that Link could not hear, "I am from your time... There was never really a Navi in this time..."

"When did you get here?" Zelda asked, confused. She and Zelda transformed back into their real selves, not noticing the gasp of surprise Link gave.

"For when Link came out of the Chamber of Sages? Just after you girls disappeared." Navi said dramatically, "I'm so glad you two are ok!" Zelda smiled warmly at the fairy, and indicated her young charge. Navi made a bell's ring, and hurried back into his hat.

"Navi says you can help me." The Hero of Time said carefully.

* * *

**Well, well, well... another twist, eh? I'm aiming for this story to have the WIDEST coverage of Zelda games as I possibly can. Hopefully, this will have some sort of reflection on the beginning of the story. It'll be hard, but I think I can do it. Let's hope, aye? Until next time! Remember, this story is now called '_Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny_'! I have a feeling that the next update might not be too far off!**


	40. An Impossible Vision

**Told you it wouldn't be too far away! HAH! But I didn't get many reviews for the last one... only 3! THREE, PEOPLE! (sob) Where oh where have my lovely reviewers gone? I'm so sad...**

**Oh well, the show must go on!

* * *

**

**Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny**

**Chapter 40**

**An Impossible Vision**

Zelda and Zel followed the Hero of Time into the Temple of Time. Zel was tense, and Zelda was fairly certain she knew what to expect.

Walking up the Pedestal of Time, Link pushed the Master Sword back into the Pedestal. A bright blue light engulfed them, and Zelda felt a dreamy sensation. She felt for Zel's hand. Grasping it, and the hand of the Hero of Time, she blacked out.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

"This is weird..." Ruto muttered, "I haven't been here in centuries." Link shushed her, and she fell into an irritated state.

"We need to speak with the Queen." Linn said quietly, jumping from the ledge to the entrance to the Domain.

"You won't find them." Link said darkly, "Dark Link destroyed the place about two years ago."

"_What_?" Ruto demanded, "Why did you let him?"

"I was unconscious." Link said, not looking back as they made their way through the eerily quiet Zora's Domain, "And everyone was worried about the Princess. She had been kidnapped at the time."

"Link..." Nabouru muttered, "While we're on the subject of the Princess-"

"She will return." Link said forcefully, "I may not have known her for very long, but I know for a fact that she is tough. And, with Zel with her, they'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

"But they may never find a way back." Impa said tensely, "And, Angahim's spell was to get rid of them. How do you know that they are not dead?" Link stopped in his tracks.

"Because it's easier to believe that they are alive, out there somewhere, then to believe that they are dead." He said quietly, resuming his path through the rubble. None but Linn noticed the tear in his eye.

Their beloved Princesses had been missing for over six moons. Linn, personally, was positive that they were dead. It was too long to be so hopeful. After almost seven moons, it seemed impossible that they could still be alive. It was too much to hope for. Linn decided that he shoud accept the worst.

"The Temple is through there." Ruto said, pointing to a gap in the bottom of the Domain, "That passageway will take us to the Temple."

"How do we get down there?" Link asked, leaning over to get a better look. Ruto pointed to the top of the Domain.

"Out the back way, there used to be a shrine to Lord Jabu-Jabu." She said strongly, "There was an Ice Cavern just beyond that. I do not know if it is still made of ice, but I doubt it is. Hidden in that Cavern is a pair of Iron Boots. The Hero of TIme used them to walk at the bottom of the Lake."

"But how did he breathe?" Linn asked, horrified.

"These." A strange voice called out, "Zora Tunics." Their group turned in shock, and gasped when they saw a majestic Zora. She looked almost exactly like Ruto, except she was wearing a lilac wraparound with red and gold trimming. Kyan, Queen of the Zoras.

"Take these." Kyan said solemly, handing them the Zora Tunics, "The Cavern is now a muddy pit. It is not quite worth going in there. If you return in one moon's time, I will have the Iron Boots specially made for you, Heroes."

"It's not a good idea..." Impa said quietly to Link and Linn, "We need the weapon in there to even _enter_ the other Temples... And you will need the Iron Boots in the Shadow Temple as well." Link nodded.

"It's a matter of utmost urgency, Majesty." He said, bowing to Kyan, "I am afraid that I must go into the Temple rather urgently. I must go through the Cavern."

"Very well." Kyan said sadly, "But a word of warning. The mud is thin as water in there. Be careful where you step. Wear that tunic, so that you might breathe in the mud pits. There are places where you will have to sink to get through the cavern as well."

"Thank you." Link said, tossing the blue Tunic over the green one. Turning to the rest, he motioned for only Ruto to follow. Nodding a farewell to the others, they began to silently climb the staircase to the Throne Room. Link caught a flash of an old memory.

_He was a child, garbed in a green tunic. He could see, out of the corner of his eye, two women standing in the shadows. In front of him was the King and Ruto as a child. Link opened his mouth to speak._

_"I have brought something for her Royal Highness, Princess Ruto." He said quietly. Ruto beamed at him, and ran off the Throne Platform to join him. He wordlessly handed her the Zora's Saphire, and turned to the women._

_"Link!" Ruto grabbed his arm, "I do not understand! Why are you doing this?" Link looked at her, expressionless._

_"I no longer have need of that stone." He said in a monotone, "I was simply returning it to you, so that you may give it to the man to whom you will give your heart." Turning his back on her once more, he walked towards the women._

_"I've given it back." He said quietly, "Now you may return home."_

_"Not quite yet..." Zel said sadly, "We must escort you to another quest before we depart."_

_Link simply nodded._

Link came back to himself abruptly. He hadn't realised that he had spoken out loud, or that he had fallen to his knees. Ruto was standing in the corner, tears silently streaming down her face, her eyes full of hate.

"What... happened?" Link asked shakily, standing up.

"I hate you." Ruto said startingly, and stalked off to the rest of the group. Link sighed, and continued along alone. Stopping in his tracks, he realised who he was talking to in his vision.

"They're in the past?" Link speculated, "Impossible." He dismissed it, and continued to climb.

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

Zelda and Zel woke up to find a young boy between them. They themselves had not changed in the slighest. Navi drew their attention.

"I am afraid that I will have to return to my own time now." She said heavily, "Zelda, Zel... Blessed be you, and return to us safely."

"Tell them..." Zelda tried to find the words, "Tell them that we will be fine. That we are in the presence of the Hero of Time... Tell them that."

"Yes, your Highness."

"Navi! Wait!" Link cried out.

"I'm sorry, Link... I cannot." Navi flew down to talk to him at eye level, "I am needed in my own time. Maybe, one day, I will return. I do not know."

"Good bye!" Navi called out as she flew into the light. Zel harrumphed.

"How come she gets to go home, but we're stuck here?" She asked darkly, following Link and Zelda out of the Temple.

"Because you still have something to do here, in this time." Rauru's voice boomed from behind. Shocked, all three of them turned to face him. He wore a smile on his face.

"What do we have to do?" Zelda asked, her tone giving away her desperation.

"You must travel with Link here to return the Spiritual Stones, and then escort him to border of Termina. When you reach there, he must play the Ocarina of Time at the gates." Was all Rauru said, before disappearing.

"Easy." Link said, "But I want to visit the Princess first."

"Fine." Zel said bitterly, "But make it quick. I wanna go home."

**PRESENT HYRULE**

Link dragged himself out of the water, and onto the ledge. He had continued on alone to the Cavern, where he was determined to find the Iron Boots. Not stopping to catch his breath, he continued into the chamber.

Link walked through the dank and dark tunnel for a while. He couldln't see his hand in front of his face, it was that dark. He had to rely on his hearing and feeling. He stretched one hand out in front of him, and another traced along the walls. He had to use his feet in order to determine the stability of the ground. What he would do if he was attacked, he had no idea.

For one gut-wrenching second, Link thought that he had stepped into a bottomless mud pit. He landed waist deep in mud, thick enough to be hard earth. Wading forwards, his hearing was heightened. after a few more drops, Link was having to sort of swim to the centre of the room, where he was met with a whirlpool. He couldn't struggle out of it. It sucked him into it's depths.

Link realised, with a flash of horror, that the Zora's Tunics did _not_ help him breathe in the mud.

**ZORA'S DOMAIN**

Ruto refused to speak, Impa was agitated, Nabouru was anxious, and Linn was feeling very concerned. It had been several hours since Link had left them in Zora's Domain to go and collect the Iron Boots. Linn had the awful feeling that something had happened to Link, _again_.

"I'm back!" Link announced, appearing at the top of the stairs. He was covered in mud from head to toe, and he looked a little blue and purple, but he was alive.

"It took the Hero of Time three days to get through that!" Kyan exclaimed, "How did you do it so fast?"

"I got sucked into a whirlpool." Link said, jumping into the water to clean off. He kept his Zora tunic on, so that he could stay under, "Took me straight to it. Almost suffocated in the process, though."

"I thought the Tunics were supposed to help us breathe?" Linn asked, shooting Kyan a suspicious glance.

"It does." Link said, nodding, "_Underwater_. It drained the water from the mud, but not the dirt. It was like I was in a dust storm, actually."

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

"Goddesses..." Zelda muttered, seeing the Market Town in Ancient Times. it was alive and ustling with activity. One of the happiest sights she had ever seen.

"Excume me, ma'am." A soldier snapped her out of her reviere, "But you're knew around here. I need to see your papers."

"Papers?" Zelda asked, bewildered.

"She's with me." Link said, coming up to the soldier.

"Ah." The guard straightened up, "Well, that's cleared that up! You may continue to the Castle!"

* * *

**Ok! How did you like? Even if you don't have any comments, could you please review to let me know that you're reading? PLEASE!**


	41. This is all wet!

**Hey, people! I know, I know – it's been forever. I don't have an excuse. Deal with it. I have writer's block, pure and simple. You have a problem with it? Too bad. And I intend on seeing this story through until the end, so there WILL be updates in the future! I promise!**

**On a friendlier note, thank you to all of those that reviewed last chapter. I hope you all like this one as well!

* * *

**

**Lost in Time, Identity and Destiny**

**Chapter 41**

**This is all wet!**

"Wow." Zelda said under her breath that evening, sneaking through the Castle Courtyard on their way out from visiting the Princess, "That was weird."

"Shhh!" Link said hastily, pulling her behind a hedge to escape being seen, "You'll get us found!" Zel rolled her eyes.

"At the rate you two are going we'll be lucky to get out of here by dusk." She complained. Her patience was wearing thin.

"Shhh!" Link hissed again as he climbed over a small wooden structure. Zel huffed and followed. Zelda eyed the construction warily. She didn't trust it. She hesitated for too long.

"Halt!" A guard rounded the corner, "Seize her!" Zelda suddenly found her arms bound and she was gagged. She immediately thought of Zel and Linn when they were thrown in prison back home.

"Throw her into the dungeons. She may be a Gerudo spy." Zelda heard a voice say. She was thrown over a guard's back and carted off inside. She tried to scream and fight against them, but there were at least two or three men there that were all twice her size.

"We'll deal with you later." One of them spat at her face. Another cut her bindings. Since she was going to be in prison, there was no need to keep her bound up. Zelda wiped the spit off as soon as her hands were free.

She couldn't help but wonder what these men would think in the future when she woke them from their stone slumber. For they did not look much older than herself – only eighteen.

Zelda sat in the darkness for hours, terrified. She tried to block out the shallow breathing down the hallway, the scratch and squeak of keys as the guards opened up cells, the muffled thumps as they threw prisoners in, the groaning as they bodily lifted a prisoner out of the cell, or the barking of orders from the warden.

"Psst!" A voice came from the darkness, "What's a pretty little thing like you doing locked up in this dark place? Finally give me the woman I've been asking for, have they?" Zelda turned around and screamed.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

"We have a choice." Link sat Linn down later, "Only one of us can go to the Water Temple."

"I know." Linn nodded, "But which one? I mean, I know this isn't _my_ Hyrule, but I'd gladly do it." Link looked to Navi, who had recently appeared and told them about Zelda and Zel being in the past.

"No." Link shook his head, "This is my task. There's something I want you to check for me."

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

"Argh!" Zel yelled once they were safely outside of the Castle grounds and hidden in the back alleys, "I cannot be_lieve_ she got caught!"

"Calm down." Link opened one eye to look at her. Even as a child he was well disciplined. His expression gave away nothing. Zel, on the other hand, was frantic.

"Calm down?" She screeched, "_Calm down_? How can you _say_ that?"

"Because it requires calm thinking to plan a rescue." Link sighed, "If you rush into things too quickly you will end up getting hurt. Or killed. Either way you won't be of much use to Zelda. We're doing her better by just waiting here." Zel groaned and slid down the wall. He was right, and she was furious about it.

"So what do you propose we do?" She asked impatiently.

"We wait until they take her to trial. No. Listen." He held up a hand at her outraged face, "That's the time when security around the cells will be at its weakest. They'll all be worried about the King, so all the security will be around him. So it'll be easier to break in and sneak her out." Zel freaked out. Who knew how long it would take?

"It will take a week." Link said immediately at the sight of her face, looking out towards the moonrise, "It happens every full moon. It's easier this way, Zel. Remember, I look but a child, but I am really a man in a child's body. I know things."

Zel snorted, barely containing her laughter. The little boy, who could have easily passed for a girl, looked nothing like the child she had imagined. She had pictured a strapping young bloke who had hard features and a strong chin. Not this little pansy boy.

"Sure." She snickered, despite the situation, "Sure. Fine we'll wait a week. But what do we do in the meantime?"

"I need to stock up." Link rummaged behind his shield for a small backpack, "I'm out of Deku Nuts and Deku Seeds. I suppose we head to the Forest. We'll be back here in five days. Then we might as well stay in Kakariko Village until the trials. Then we can sneak into the Castle as citizens. We'll pretend you're my mother or something." Zel opened her mouth to protest.

"We'll think of the finer details later. Just come on. I want to get to the ranch by sunrise. I have business." Zel huffed and followed him along the dirt road. It was times like this when she had to remind herself she was a Princess, and not a common traveller.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

Linn snuck through the Moblin-ridden Market-Town. Navi had long since hidden in the folds of his clothes, in a desperate bid not to be seen. Linn looked towards his final destination – the Temple of Time.

He loaded his Grappling Hook, and threw it up to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Making sure it was secure, he scaled the vertical wall to emerge on the roof. He then snuck from rooftop to rooftop, until he came to the gates of the Temple.

When he climbed down, he realised that there were two Stalfos guarding the door. He inwardly groaned, and tried not to wake them as he passed them. Once he was safely inside, he closed and barricaded the doors with a large plank of wood that was used by the Royalty for just such occasions.

"Up there." Navi indicated the open portal, "That's it there. It will take you to wherever you want it too." Linn nodded.

"Hold on tight, Navi." He muttered, taking a running leap at the portal. When he passed through it, it was as if it had never happened. The only difference was that it was sunset, and there was no portal on this side. Linn cursed.

"How are we supposed to get back?" He asked testily. Navi's glow faltered.

"We have to complete the same mission that Zelda and Zel do." She muttered. Linn sighed, and headed out of the Temple. He was lucky that the clothing he was wearing fitted in so well with the times. No one gave him a second look as he passed through the streets while people were heading home.

He saw unusual movement out of the corner of his eye. He instructed Navi to hide, and followed the two people, a woman and a child, exit the town through the back alleys.

"Argh! I cannot be_lieve_ she got caught!" Linn knew that voice. He didn't want them to know he was there, though, so he stayed hidden. Maybe he might learn a thing or two along the way.

"Calm down." The child had his back to Linn, but there was something familiar about him.

"Calm down? _Calm down_? How can you _say_ that?"

"Because it requires calm thinking to plan a rescue." The child was smart, Linn thought wryly, "If you rush into things too quickly you will end up getting hurt. Or killed. Either way you won't be of much use to Zelda. We're doing her better by just waiting here." Zelda? Linn's ears perked up.

"So what do you propose we do?" She asked impatiently.

"We wait until they take her to trial. No. Listen." The child held up a hand at her outraged face, "That's the time when security around the cells will be at it's weakest. They'll all be worried about the King, so all the security will be around him. So it'll be easier to break in and sneak her out." Linn could tell Zel was freaking out.

"It will take a week. It happens every full moon. It's easier this way, Zel. Remember, I look but a child, but I am really a man in a child's body. I know things." Linn raised an eyebrow. Geez, this kid was full of it, wasn't he? Zel snorted, barely containing her laughter. Even Linn was having a hard time.

"Sure." She snickered, despite the situation, "Sure. Fine we'll wait a week. But what do we do in the meantime?"

"I need to stock up." The child pulled out a small backpack from behind his over-large shield, "I'm out of Deku Nuts and Deku Seeds. I suppose we head to the Forest. We'll be back here in five days. Then we might as well stay in Kakariko Village until the trials. Then we can sneak into the Castle as citizens. We'll pretend you're my mother or something." Zel opened her mouth to protest.

"We'll think of the finer details later. Just come on. I want to get to the ranch by sunrise. I have business." Zel huffed and followed him along the dirt road. It was now that Linn chose to make his appearance.

"Zel!" He called out, emerging from the shadows, "Forgotten about me already?" She gasped and spun around.

**PRESENT HYRULE **

Link aimed the hookshot at the top of the entrance to the Water Temple. Sharply compressing and releasing the chain, he let it spring towards the switch. It hit with a ching and opened slowly, letting some of the water rush in.

Link dragged his heavy feet into the Temple, and braced himself. Who knew what was waiting for him inside? He closed his eyes as he removed his Iron Boots and floated to the surface of the water.

He opened his eyes after a few moments. The room was empty, save for the remains of the ancient Tektikes that were scattered about. He dragged himself out of the water and onto the platform. Going to the edge, he looked downwards.

The water was too deep and too murky to see clearly all the way to the bottom. He thought he saw a flurry of movement about halfway down, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to take his chances in the water, but there was no other choice. He'd have to swim across to get to the centre.

Steeling his courage, he jumped into the water. It was freezing cold. He had barely adjusted to its temperature before he climbed out again on the centre platform. Shaking his head to rid himself of most of the water, he rounded the corner. There was a door there.

He tried to open it. Nothing. It was locked. Link studied the lock on the door. It was amazing that it hadn't rusted. He sighed, and moved on. There had to be an open door around here somewhere.

He came to the next corner, and turned. Across the water, there seemed to be a pillar that the hookshot might attach to. He aimed and fired it, but it wasn't long enough. It made it about three quarters of the way, before stopping and coming back. Link huffed and searched the rest of the room that was above water. There was no choice but to sink into the murky depths, where he was certain only his hookshot would work. If it didn't he was a goner.

**

* * *

Yay! Done! I hope you all enjoyed it and I promise that there will be future updates – though there's no guarantee on how soon it will be.**

**Review!**


	42. Sharks in the Water

**In the words of Nickelback: '_Too long, too late. Who was I to make you wait?_' (I don't own the song! XD) I use that line to express my deep, deep apologies for taking so long! I've been busy… and I've had a couple of days off to get this chapter ready for posting. Omg… so behind on everything!**

**Anyway, I thought I'd open on a happy note. I think I may begin the romantic storyline again here. Hehe, I love to torture their poor little hearts!

* * *

**

**Chapter 42**

**Sharks in the Water**

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

"Linn!" Zel squealed, jumping on him, "What are you doing here?"

"Finding you." Linn hugged her tightly around the waist and lifted her off the ground, "We've been so worried! We thought you and Zelda were dead."

"No." Zel shook her head, but didn't let go, "But we've had a few close shaves. Like in a place called-" She was cut off by Linn's lips. They had sealed themselves on hers in a quick, fleeting kiss. But, much to Zel's dismay, it was rather abrupt. Linn realised what he was doing, and immediately let her go. She stared at him in confusion.

"I'm so sorry, Princess." Linn dropped to his knees before her in a sign of remorse, "I was not myself. I swear it won't happen again."

"Linn…" Zel muttered, "What are you doing?" She pulled him to his feet and ran her hands down the side of his face, before kissing him square on the lips. They remained that way for a few moments, before a gentle 'ahem' alerted them to the presence of the child. Zel and Linn sprang apart, their cheeks crimson.

"Touching reunion." The child sighed, "But there is still the matter of Zelda in the dungeons. I thought it was important to you to get her out, Zel?" He asked haughtily, and Zel nodded, "Fine then. Follow me. Bring your… friend with us. He may be of some use. We might have to fight, and I'm not yet strong enough to take on more than one or two grown men." He started off.

Linn looked at Zel in confusion. She shrugged, and began to follow him. His hand shot out and grabbed hers, pulling her back to him.

"Who is that?" He demanded, "And what insane quest are you on?"

"Come on." Zel sighed, "I'll explain along the way." She pulled him along after the small boy.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

Link landed on the bottom of the Temple, armed with his hookshot. He glanced around, before moving his foot. It was difficult. The water alone made it difficult at the best of times, but the pressure made it almost impossible to move at all. Even with his Water Tunic, breathing was difficult. It was like he was being crushed.

Then, all of a sudden, he could move again. The water still restricted him, but he had become used to the pressure. He figured that going through one of the open passageways to the side was his best bet, and so he headed for one. He didn't see the spike heading for him until it was too late. It was headed straight for his chest, and he couldn't use his shield to deflect it.

A blue and white blur crossed his vision, and the spike was no longer there. He looked to where it had gone, and his jaw hit the floor. It looked like a giant fish. It was definitely a Zora, but the water distorted it so much that he couldn't make out the features.

"You're gonna get yourself killed in here." Ruto sighed, holding the spike harmlessly in her hand, "I figured as much, anyway. Go that way. I'll follow you." She pointed to the opposite side of the room. Link did as she bid him, knowing full well that she knew the Temple better than he did.

It was getting easier to move as time passed. It took him a few minutes, but he made it to the other side. Ruto was swimming gracefully alongside him the whole way. He wished the Tunic allowed him to talk underwater as well, but he had no voice in the murky depths. Just as well for Ruto. She would have copped a mouthful if he could have spoken. Turning away from her, he focused on the looming passageway.

"Be careful in there. Ruto warned him, "There are a few Spikes in there. Have your hookshot ready." Link nodded, and loaded the chain. He rounded the corner, and aimed it at the first one he saw. He struck it before it noticed him. He quickly hid around the corner before any of the others noticed him. He waited a few moments, and reloaded the chain. He repeated this process five times, until the creatures were all dead.

Link and Ruto made their way cautiously into the room. It was nothing but an empty chamber with a pillar of water in the side. Link made to turn around and leave, but Ruto stopped him.

"Look inside the pillar of water." She pointed. Link squinted. He could see the outline of something, but he couldn't tell what it was. Looking around the room, he thought he saw a switch. He hit it.

The pillar of water fell, and Link saw that it hid a chest. Link quickly made his way over to it. Who knew how long it would be gone for? He was just about to open it, when the water started to flow again. Frustrated, he aimed his hookshot at the switch, and let it fly. It struck the switch, and the water stopped again.

Quickly, Link opened the chest. It hid a map. Link studied it for a few moments. It was made out of some sort of waterproof material. Once he judged his position on the map, with Ruto's help, he slipped it away. It might come in useful later.

"There's a few shortcuts the Hero of Time left open when he left." Ruto's head poked out of the water, "Come. I'll show you where they are." She dived under. Link muttered something to himself, before diving in after her and putting on the Iron Boots. He briefly wished that Linn were there, but then was also glad that he wasn't.

Link followed Ruto through many hidden doors and holes in walls, before they emerged in a chamber with a tree in the middle. Link took a few steps into the room, with Ruto right behind him, when it suddenly vanished. There was an evil laughter.

"Normally, Hero," A voice floated through the air, "I would stand and fight you, but now I must be off. I have business in the outside world. Oh, and your sister Aryll wishes you a Happy Birthday." The voice stopped. Link's blood ran cold. How could he have forgotten his birthday? And they had Aryll!

"You let Aryll go!" He demanded, turning around the darkness. He heard a sword drawn in the darkness. He immediately drew his own and turned to face the monster.

"If you _insist_." Dark Link sneered, "Fight me and I _might_ consider it." Link growled.

"Where is my sister?" He aimed for the shadow's arms as he attacked. Dark Link sneered and parried his blow.

"The same place your beloved Princess was two years ago." Dark Link struck out with his sword, "Hidden in this very room." Link raised his shield to block the blow.

"Don't you _dare_ mention her!" Link snarled, aiming a blow for his counterpart's neck, which was easily blocked.

"He's trying to bait you!" Ruto called to Link from the edge of the room, "Don't fall for it!" Link stopped in his tracks for a few moments. What Ruto said made sense. He'd just have to not fall for Dark Link's bait.

**ANCIENT HYRULE**

"I can't believe you re just following him around like this!" Linn banged his fist against the wall of the stable, "Zelda is trapped in the dungeon of the Castle, and you're heading towards the opposite side of the land? _Are_ _you_ _insane_?"

"Like it or not," Zel sighed, "Link's plan is a good one. He's right on any account. Rushing in there now is suicide. And besides, he's not the Hero of Time for nothing." Linn growled.

"Link is gonna kill me. He sent me to see both of you back safely." He lowered his head as that the shadows from the flickering lamplight played across his face.

"It'll all be fine." Zel reassured him, even though she wasn't so sure herself, "We'll find a way."

"It's just been too long." Linn sighed and settled back into the pile of hay in the corner, "Too long…" He closed his eyes and drifted off into a light sleep. Zel sighed, and curled up next to him. She felt him shift ad place his arm around her.

"If you only knew…" She mumbled softly, before joining him in the land of nod.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

"Come on, Dark Link!" Zarina yelled out, watching Dark Link and Link fight through a special portal that she'd created. Link seemed to be gaining the upper hand, and didn't seem to be responding to Dark Link's taunts.

"Your sister is a cute little thing. Lots of fun following her around. Turning into quite the young lady." Dark Link cooed. That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Link cried an almighty war cry, and slashed up with his sword. Dark Link easily avoided the blow and struck one of his own, connecting with Link's head. Zarina watched as Link collapsed into the water.

"Stop squirming, you little whelp!" She yelled to Aryll, who was tied up and gagged behind her, "Your brother's about to die and all you can think about is yourself! How selfish!" Aryll's eyes widened to twice their normal size. She began to struggle harder against the ropes. Zarina flung a hand out behind her and Aryll ceased moving – for the time being.

"Come on. Remember the plan." Zarina muttered to herself, turning back to the portal. As she saw Dark Link raise his sword to deliver the final blow, she began to chew on her index fingernail. Her hair fell across her face, and she brushed it away nervously.

"Stop." She muttered, "Stop! What are you doing! I need him alive, damnit!" She screeched, jumping to her feet. Dark Link seemed to have heard her somehow, and snapped his head up. He lowered his sword, and spat at the Zora's feet, before turning to the door and running.

Zarina breathed a sigh of relief. Link would live to see another day – and to take out Ganondorf and Anghaim. Her ultimate goal was drawing ever closer. But where did the other Hero go? She creased her brow with confusion.

"Damn!" Dark Link flew into the room through a portal that Zarina had left open in the other room, "What a rough ride. My neck aches." He put a hand on his shoulder to hold it in place as he stretched it. Zarina made a face as she heard the pops.

"That is disgusting. Good way to damage a nerve, too." She wrinkled up her nose at the display.

"What's a nerve?" Dark Link asked curiously. Zarina sighed and left the room, muttering about limited medieval intelligence.

**PRESENT HYRULE**

"Gah!" Anghaim threw the chicken leg across the room, "Another poison attempt! Who dares to try this time?" There was a shuffle in the kitchens as the servant boy was pushed out in front of him.

"It wasn't me!" The boy sobbed, "I swear it!" He couldn't have been older than five. Much too young to know what a poison was.

"Do you imbeciles think I am not twice as intelligent as you?" Anghaim walked into the kitchen, "This boy was not the one who attempted to poison me. Where is the real culprit?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously. No one moved.

"Stalfoses!" Anghaim called, and several of the foul creatures appeared, "Punish these cooks for attempting to poison me. If one of them so much as blurts out the one who did it, tell me immediately!"

"Aye-aye!" The Stalfoses cried, and rounded them up. The little boy that was pushed in front of Anghaim was steered away by his ugly hand and out the courtyard gates.

"Get outta my face." Anghaim spat, and slammed the gate behind him, "I never want to see your runty face around this castle ever again!" The boy took off running.

**

* * *

So? 'Twas it to your liking? No Zelda! Don't worry, I promise she will be back… in one way or another. Review, please.**


End file.
